No Ordinary Boys
by KC246
Summary: Mary and John Winchester are foster parents, who take in brothers Dean and Sam. Two abused and neglected boys that end up changing the Winchesters lives forever.
1. Chapter 1

**No Ordinary Boys.**

This is my first fanfiction. It's an AU story. Dean is fourteen and Sam is ten.

**Summary :-**

Mary and John Winchester are foster parents, who take in brothers Dean and Sam. Two abused and neglected boys that end up changing the Winchester's lives forever.

**Chapter One.**

"I know it's a lot to ask on such short notice," Matt sighed and even over the phone Mary could hear him shuffling the papers on his desk. "But social services have landed us with a real emergency situation, and to be honest, I have nowhere else to go."

Mary Winchester couldn't help but smile. It wasn't the first time that Matt, the link worker from the fostering agency that she and her husband John worked for, had called asking them to take an emergency case. She'd never turned one down and she wasn't about to start now. "So, you say it's a sibling placement?"

"Yes," he answered. "Two brothers. Dean's the eldest at fourteen and his younger brother Sam is ten. I'm afraid to say they are not in a good state. They have both been horribly neglected and were very underweight when social services removed from their last foster home."

Mary let out a shocked gasp. "They're already in the care system? And their foster carers have been neglecting them?"

"It was a family foster placement," he explained. "The boys were taken from their biological father four years ago after he was found guilty of physical abuse. An Aunt and Uncle from the mother's side came forward to care for them, and after the usual checks the boys were placed with them. Social services were of course supposed to be monitoring them but somehow they seemed to have fallen through the cracks."

"Fallen through the cracks?" asked Mary, astonished.

"Look," sighed Matt. "I don't have all the details myself, just what I've been told by social services which at the moment isn't a lot. I'm not going to lie to you Mary, these boys have some serious issues. They both have behavioural problems and the older one is very protective of his sibling to the point of aggression. I will totally understand if you want to say no, but I can assure you that if you do take this, it will only be a short term placement until we can sort something else out. Two weeks max."

Mary had heard that before too. Their third foster child Meggie was only supposed to be a short one week placement and she ended up with them for two years. Then there was Alexis who's emergency overnight stay lasted six months. "Its okay, Matt. We'll take them."

Matt's relief was obvious. "Thank you."

"What else do you know? Has there been any physical abuse?" Mary had learnt early on that it was wise to get as much information about any problems now, rather than be blindsided by them later.

"No. As far as we can tell they haven't been physically hurt. Just severely neglected."

"So, when can we expect them?"

"Well social services went in and removed them this morning. They can be with you in about four hours."

"Four hours?" exclaimed Mary. That didn't leave her much time to get prepared. She usually had at least 24 hours to get ready for a placement.

"I know. I know. It's like no notice at all," agreed Matt, "but like I said it's a real desperate situation."

"Four hours it is then."

"Thank you again, Mary. I'll call the boys social workers now and let them know. They should have more information for you when they drop them off. I'll call you again tomorrow to check in but any problems before then just call me, anytime. Okay?"

"I will. I'll speak to you again soon. Bye Matt."

No sooner had Mary hung up the phone, John came through the door, groceries clutched under his arm.

"Mare?" he called, tossing his car keys into the bowl by the front door.

"In the kitchen."

"I ran into Andy at the store," he said, placing the groceries down on the kitchen table. "He invited us to a barbeque over at his and Sandra's tonight. What do you reckon, baby? You feel like going?"

"I reckon we might be busy," she replied simply.

John quirked an eyebrow at his wife. He knew that look. They were getting a new foster kid.

* * *

As it turned out they were getting two new foster kids. Brothers, from what Mary had said. Since he and Mary had started fostering they hadn't had many sibling placements. John watched as his wife hurried around the house preparing for the boys arrival. He'd learnt long ago not to help out unless he was specifically asked, and even then Mary usually ended up re-doing whatever task he'd been set. John didn't mind though, he knew that Mary just wanted things to be as perfect as they could for the kids.

It had damm near killed Mary all those years ago when the doctors had first told them that they would never be able to conceive a child. Mary had fallen into such a deep depression that John had started to fear he had lost her for good. Then a friend had mentioned fostering and from that moment Mary dedicated her life to it, to the children who needed her as much as she needed them.

It wasn't always easy but Mary had endless patience and love for any child who came through their doors. It didn't matter what situation they came from or what problems they had, Mary never gave up on them. John had been worried when they first started fostering that he wouldn't be much good at it. He'd gone straight from school into the marines. He had no experience whatsoever with kids.

However, it turned out his doubts were unfounded. Not only did enjoy looking after the children but he actually found himself bonding with them, and was even able to help some of them overcome their problems.

The only cases they wouldn't take were children under two. Their fourth foster case had been a five month old baby. The little girl stayed with them for seven months and after she left, Mary had cried for hours before shutting herself away for three days solid. That was when they decided that they wouldn't be fostering anymore babies. It was just too hard when you had to say goodbye.

John was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of a car pulling up, shortly followed by Mary's voice.

"John, they're here."

* * *

Mary opened the door just as a smartly dressed woman who she assumed was Dean and Sam's social worker approached. The woman extended her hand.

"Hello, you must be Mrs Winchester. I'm Becca. I've been assigned as Dean and Sam's case worker."

Mary shook her hand. "Please, call me Mary, and this is my husband John."

John stepped forward to shake her hand and Becca smiled. "I can't thank you both enough for agreeing to this at such short notice. We are very grateful."

"It's not a problem," assured Mary and she glanced over Becca's shoulder to the scene outside. Another social worker, a man this time was ushering the two boys out of the car. The elder one, Dean, exited first before reaching behind to help his little brother clamber out. Even from a distance Mary could see they were small for their age and very underweight. As soon as the younger boy was out of the car he plastered himself to his brother's side, wrapping his skinny arms tightly around his brother's chest. Dean once more reached into the car, this time retrieving a duffel bag. The man extended his hand in an offer to carry the bag and Mary watched Dean practically snarl at the man before slinging the bag over his own shoulder.

"Ah, here they come," said Becca, turning around and beckoning them over. "This is my partner Jake, and this is Dean, and Sam." Becca stood to the side so they could come in. "Dean, Sam. This is Mary and John. They're going to be looking after you for a little while."

It took a lot to shock Mary these days but the state of the two children in front of her shocked her. Neglect, did not begin to cover it. They were both absolutely filthy. It looked the dirt was actually tattooed on their skin. Their hair was greasy and matted, and their clothes were torn, ill fitting and covered in the same thick dirt that coated their skin. Dean stood glaring daggers at them all, his arms entwined protectively around Sam, who was clinging desperately to his brother and Mary felt her heart clench when she saw Sam was trembling.

"Hello boys." Mary smiled her best smile. "Welcome to our home. We are very pleased to meet you both."

Dean didn't reply but Sam let out a shaky, "Hello M'am."

"Is there maybe somewhere Jake could take the boys to sit while we have a quick chat?" Becca asked.

"Of course." Mary led them through into the living room. "Would you like to watch some TV?"

When neither boy responded Jake smiled and picked up the remote. "It's okay. I'll sort it."

Mary nodded and gave the boys another smile before joining John and Becca in the kitchen.

"What do you mean you don't have all their files yet?" John asked.

"I was only assigned this case three days ago and I haven't received all the necessary paperwork regarding their past involvement with social services, including the case file on the boys removal from the biological father."

Mary sighed. "So, what can you tell us about them?"

"That they were taken from their father four years ago after suspicions of abuse. The mother is deceased but they were placed in foster care with an aunt and uncle. Three days ago, Dean's school contacted us with concerns about numerous unauthorised absences, as well as Dean's unkempt appearance. When we visited the aunt and uncle's home, we found that both Sam and Dean were living in unacceptable conditions. The house was filthy and over flowing with rubbish. The boys were both dirty and were sharing one mattress in an otherwise empty bedroom. They were clearly not being fed enough or cared for adequately, and steps were implemented to remove them, which we were able to do this morning."

John shook his head in disgust at the living conditions these poor boys had been forced to endure. "Why wasn't this discovered sooner? Surely social services were checking on them?"

Becca shifted uneasily in her chair. "I assure you Mr Winchester that it's being looked into." Smoothing a piece of hair back into place she continued, "This should only be a short term placement, until we can sort out something more suitable for the boys while the case goes to court. As you have probably already noticed both boys are underweight but it is not believed there that there has been any physical abuse. Dean isn't very talkative but he is very protective of his younger brother and doesn't like anyone getting to close to Sam. Little Sam is a bit friendly than Dean but he becomes very distressed if he is separated from his brother."

Both Mary and John nodded, absorbing all the information.

"They have a few belongings in their duffel, which Dean is also really protective off, but none of their clothes were suitable to bring. Do you have anything here that would be suitable or do you need some things picking up?"

"We should have some spare sets here that they can use until I get to the shops tomorrow." Mary replied.

Becca nodded. "The state will of course reimburse you for any expense, and I will call tomorrow to check in with you both."

After saying a quick goodbye to the boys, both Becca and Jake left, leaving Mary and John alone with their new charges.

John switched off the TV that neither Dean nor Sam seemed to be watching. "Okay, so how about we start a tour of house?"

The boys were both sat in one corner of the couch, well Dean was, Sam was practically sat in Dean's lap. At the sound of John's voice, Sam flinched and Dean pulled Sam closer to him, running his hands up and down his brother's arms soothingly while scowling at John.

"Sorry Sam," he apologised, deliberately softening his voice. "I didn't mean to make you jump."

"It's okay, sir." Sam stammered but he never met John's eyes.

"Come on then." Mary smiled. "Let's show you around."

The boys followed as Mary and John showed them around downstairs before leading them upstairs and into what would be their bedroom.

"I'm afraid I only time to prepare one room, so you will have to share for now but..."

Dean quickly cut Mary off with an abrupt, "Sharing's fine."

"Okay then." Mary nodded. "Well, how about you boys take a shower and then we can see about getting you both something to eat."

At the mention of a shower, both boy's eyes went wide and Sam instantly huddled closer to Dean, whose arms once again drew around his younger sibling in a protective embrace. "Please M'am, we don't like showers." Sam mumbled.

Mary smiled at them both. Sam was visibly shaking, clutching at his big brother's arms, and even though he was trying to hard to hide it, she could see fine tremors running through Dean as well. _'Those poor boys,' _she thought sadly. _'They're absolutely terrified.'_

"Its okay, Sam," she soothed. "There's no need to be afraid of showers here. They won't hurt you. They'll just get you all warm and clean. We all take showers here everyday and it feels really nice. Doesn't it John?"

John nodded. "How about we go take a look in the bathroom and I'll show you how everything works? You'll soon see there's nothing to be scared of." Noticing that Sam's attention was now fixed on Dean and only Dean, John turned his gaze to the older boy. "What do you think, buddy? That sound okay?"

Even though Dean's eyes remained locked on the Winchesters, he knew Sam would be looking up at him and trying to gauge his reaction to see if he should believe what he was being told. Showers tended to mean one of two things were about to happen and both of them sent shivers of fear through Dean's spine, and he fought to keep his face blank. Showing fear always made things worse and he had Sammy to protect. Continuing to hold John's gaze he nodded, keeping Sam close to his side as he followed John and Mary to the bathroom.

John proceeded to show the boys how to operate the shower, including how to adjust the temperature. He set the temperature to light warm and placed his hand under the running stream. "See," he said, smiling over at the boys who were both stood ram-rod straight. "Nothing to worry about."

"How about you go first Dean? Show Sam that it's okay." Mary suggested softly.

Dean's mouth was set in a thin line. His body thrumming with tension. "Fine," he gritted out.

"Dean." Sam's voice was shaky and he curled one of his hands into the sleeve of Dean's shirt.

"It's okay, Sammy." Dean gently removed his brother's grip on him. "I'll be fine. Just go wait in the bedroom for me, alright? I'll help you shower when I'm done." He glared over at the Winchester's making it clear that he intended to be the only one helping Sam shower and that John and Mary would definitely not be welcome.

Mary nodded and smiled. "That's fine, Dean."

"Come on then Sammy," John gestured towards the door. "Let's give your brother some privacy."

Sam flinched at the name Sammy.

"It's Sam." Dean snapped at the older man.

John looked down at Sam. "You don't like the name Sammy?" His brow furrowed a little in confusion. Hadn't he heard Dean address him as Sammy just a few moments before?

"Dean's the only one allowed to call me that." Sam mumbled as he reluctantly shuffled out of the bathroom.

Dean watched his little brother leave before turning his stare back on the Winchester's. "So, now what?"

John frowned. "Now you shower Dean."

"The shampoo and body wash are just here on the shelves. Help yourself to whatever you want, okay? There are some new flannels already there for you to use and fresh towels are in the cupboard over there." Mary said, and she and John moved to follow Sam out the door. "Just yell if you need anything, sweetie."

Once he was sure he was alone Dean let himself slump down onto the bathroom floor. He took a few shaky breaths in an attempt to calm down and stop his body from trembling. The fact that he could hear the shower running didn't help. Dean knew what shower's meant. Either he was going to be punished by being kept under the freezing cold spray for hours, or his body was going to used to satisfy some bastards sick needs. He hadn't even been in the house an hour yet, so he didn't think he could of done anything wrong to deserve punishment, which meant any minute now John would be coming back to take what he wanted.

Dean's gaze flitted briefly to the bathroom window. He knew it was big enough for him to squeeze through but he also knew he wouldn't even try. As much as his whole body wanted to escape before John returned, he would never leave Sammy behind. Sammy was the only good thing to ever happen to Dean and he'd rather die than live without him.

He hated the thought that right now Sam was sat unprotected in the bedroom, but Dean knew that the best choice he had right now was to go along with what the Winchester's wanted, because if Dean got in the shower that meant John would soon be in here with him and therefore no where near his baby brother. Of course that meant Mary would be alone with Sam, but from previous experience the women of the household tended to just turn a blind eye to the abuse rather than partake in it. It was the men who were usually the ones to worry about. Dean could only hope Mary Winchester wasn't one of those women who were the exception to the rule.

Struggling back to his feet, he began stripping out of his clothes, realising that if John came back in and found him just sat on the floor instead of in the shower, it would most likely make the man angry and he'd be rougher when punishing him.

Dean winced when the warm spray hit his naked body. He was still covered in the welts, cuts and bruises he'd received from his uncle's latest punishment, and the water raining down on him stung. Trying to distract himself from the sting, he looked at the various items stacked neatly on the shower's shelves. The Winchester's certainly seemed to have much nicer things than his previous homes. The whole bathroom was clean and smelt nice. Dean remembered his Uncle's bathroom. He remembered how grimy and dank it felt. He remembered being handcuffed to the shower rail as ice cold water pounded down on him, and he remembered wondering if that dirty bathroom would be the last thing he would see before he died. His uncle seemed to love using the ice shower as a punishment. His father had tended to prefer to plunge him into a freezing cold bath instead, chuckling while he held Dean's thrashing body in the water.

Snapping himself out of the past, Dean picked up one of the body wash bottles of the shelf, and popping open the cap he sniffed it curiously. It smelt really good but he hesitated before squeezing any out. He usually wasn't permitted to use something like this. His uncle had only allowed him to occasionally use a bar of soap. Mary had told him to use whatever he wanted, it could just be a trick but it could also mean that John wanted him clean before he did whatever he was planning on. Taking a chance, he squeezed the bottle and began rubbing the body wash over his skin.

Seconds later he was screaming in agony. The liquid soaked into his wounds, a trail of burning and pain spreading across his body.

* * *

"So, Sam, what do you think you and Dean would like for dinner?" Mary asked, sitting down beside him on the bed but not close enough that she was crowding him.

"Anything will be fine, M'am." Sam kept his head lowered, his bangs covering his eyes. He didn't like being apart from Dean. Especially when he knew what was going to happen to his brother in the shower. Dean had protected Sam from their father, uncle and anyone else who wanted to hurt them as much as he could, but despite Dean best efforts, Sam knew what the punishments were like, and he knew how much they hurt.

Sam's only comfort right now was that John was standing in the bedroom doorway watching him and Mary, which meant he wasn't in the bathroom with Dean. _Hurting Dean._ Maybe Sam could find a way to keep John in here and away from Dean.

"You really don't have to call me M'am." Mary smiled softly at him. "You can call me Mary. I honestly don't mind."

Sam just nodded. He didn't really want to call her anything. He just wanted his brother.

When it became clear Sam wasn't going to say anything Mary continued, "What about pasta? Do you and Dean like pasta?"

"Pasta's fine." Sam shifted uneasily on the bed. He wasn't used to being asking what he wanted to eat. He wasn't used to eating much at all and the unfamiliarity of the situation was making him nervous. He didn't know how he suppose to act. He didn't know how they wanted him to act and he knew if he didn't get it right he'd be in trouble.

"Sam, it's okay." said Mary, her tone soothing, seeming to notice his unease. "You're safe here, alright? I promise, nothing bad is going to happen."

That's when the screaming from the bathroom started.

Sam flinched violently at the sound, his eyes widening in terror as he scrambled from the bed, heading in the direction of the door. John had already taken off at a run towards the bathroom, and after being momentarily stunned by the sound Mary rushed after them.

Without even a second thought John burst through the bathroom door and ripped open the shower curtain. The sight that met him stopped him dead in his tracks. "Oh Christ." Dean's body was a mess. A sickening road map of abuse littered his skin and the poor boy was stood writhing in pain under the water.

"Mary, quick, get me a towel." He turned his head around to look at his wife, his expression grim."I need to get him out of here right now."

John quickly shut of the shower and seconds later a soft towel was being pressed into his hands. He gently reached for Dean, wrapping the soft fabric around him and pulling the boy closer to him. Dean's screams had died down to short cries and whimpers of pain.

"Shhh, it's alright." John hushed and as gently as he could, he lifted him out of the shower. He lowered them both the floor, his arms still wrapped carefully around him. The teen was shaking, keening loudly but despite the pain he still struggled weakly against John's hold on him. "Shhh Dean. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. Just calm down, bud. You're alright. Shhh."

Dean could feel John's hands on him and he bucked against them. His whole body felt like it was on fire. It had been a trick. They had known what using that stuff on his skin would do and that's why they had said he could use it. They had wanted him to hurt like this. It had been a trick and he'd fallen for it. Tears tracked there way down his face, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. His eyes scanned wildly round the room, briefly landing on Mary, who was stood with her hand over her mouth in horror at the scene in front of her, before locking on his baby brother. Every part of his brother seemed to be radiating fear and Dean whimpered in response. Sammy. He had to protect Sammy. He tried to increase his struggles but he just couldn't seem to get enough air.

John frowned when Dean began to gasp for air. "Dammit," he muttered when he realised Dean was having a panic attack. "Dean, It's okay." John shifted his hold on Dean so they were kneeling face to face. "Just breathe, alright? You're safe here, Dean. C'mon, it's okay. Just breathe. In and out. In and out." Dean continued to hyperventilate and John cursed softly under his breath. "Dean, you need to calm down, buddy. You need to breathe or you're gonna pass out. C'mon bud, just take a breath."

Pass out? The words made Dean's heart beat faster. No! He couldn't pass out. If he passed out then who would protect Sammy? He can't pass out. He just can't. He tried to suck in the oxygen he so desperately craved but it wasn't enough and his eyes began to roll back in his head. The sound of Sam suddenly screaming his name was the last thing he heard before the darkness claimed him.

**TBC.**

Thank you for taking the time to read :) Please review :)


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review. All your comments were really appreciated and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

**Chapter Two.**

"Dean? Dean, can you hear me?" John gently shook the teen in his arms, trying to get a reaction but Dean remained unconscious. He shot Mary a concerned look. "Phone Dr. Saunders. Tell him it's an emergency."

Mary nodded, her features pale, as she rushed off to summon help.

"Dean?" He tried petting the boys face but there was still no response. "Dean? C'mon kid, wake up. Dean?" That's when John noticed that his hands weren't the only ones now touching Dean. Sam had grasped both of his brother's upper arms, and at first John thought that he was trying to shake Dean awake but after a few moments he realised Sam wasn't trying to shake Dean, he was trying to lift him. He was trying to take him from John's arms and into his own.

"Sam, it's okay." John placed one of his hands gently on Sam's arm to stop his movement. "It's alright, buddy. I got him. He's gonna be okay."

Sam's insistent tugging didn't stop and John frowned when Sam let out a distressed whimper. "Sam?" The kid didn't answer him. His whole body was visibly trembling and he had broken out in a sheen of sweat, but that didn't stop his frantic attempts to get Dean away from John.

"Please," begged Sam, his voice small and desperate. "Don't hurt him, don't hurt him."

John cursed under his breath. Damm. He'd been shaking Dean and tapping his face, trying to wake him up, but all Sam could see was John was hurting Dean. "It's alright, Sam. I wasn't trying to hurt him; I was just trying to wake him up. I'm not gonna hurt him, I promise."

Sam didn't seem to hear him. "Dean." Sam sobbed. "Dean, wake up. Dean, please wake up. Dean."

"Doctor's on his way." Mary reappeared in the doorway, phone still clutched in her hand. "How is he?"

"Still unconscious." John turned to the sobbing child beside him. "Sam. Sam, listen to me, okay? Dean's gonna be alright. He's just passed out, that's all. He's gonna wake up real soon, okay buddy?"

Sam didn't verbally acknowledge him but his cries did die down slightly.

"Okay," John sighed and shifted Dean gently in his arms. "I'm going take Dean somewhere more comfortable. Mary, why don't you and Sam go downstairs and wait for the doc?"

Mary nodded and helped Sam to his feet. "Come on, sweetie."

As Mary led Sam away, John carried Dean into the boy's bedroom and carefully placed him down on one of the two beds in the room. He looked down sadly at the unconscious form in front of him. The poor boy's body was covered in various injuries and from the looks of it none of them had been treated. God, he must have been in so much pain. How could someone do this to an innocent child? John could still clearly see the utter terror on Dean's face during the panic attack, and it's not a look he would want to see on anyone, let alone a child.

A soft murmur snapped John's attention back to Dean's face. "Dean?" he called, placing his hand on his forehead. "Dean? You back with me, kid?"

Dean came back to consciousness with a start. His eye's flew open and he gasped out loud, struggling to sit up.

"Whoa, whoa. Easy, Dean, easy." John quickly reached out to keep Dean from falling off the bed. "Its okay, Dean. You're safe. Just take it easy." John kept his voice low and his touches light, the last thing he wanted was for Dean to have another panic attack.

Dean's eyes flew wildly around the room before settling on John. He didn't relax completely but some of the panic cleared from his gaze.

"Sam?" he called suddenly.

"He's fine." John quickly assured. "He's downstairs with Mary."

Dean immediately tried to get up and head for the door.

"Whoa there, kiddo." John said, pressing him back down on the bed. "You need to stay put until the doctor gets here, okay?"

"Get off me." Dean snapped, trying to shrug John's hands off him. "I'm going to find Sam."

John didn't let go but he tried to keep his grip as gentle as he could. "Dean, you just woke up. You need to stay here. Sam's fine, I promise."

Dean increased his struggles and he looked John straight in the eyes. "Let me go." The venom in his voice and the pure fury that flashed across his face startled John. It was so different from the terrified, hopeless look he seen on Dean earlier in the bathroom.

"Dean, stop. You need to relax or you're gonna end up hurting yourself."

Dean bucked violently in his hold, hissing at the pain it caused him. "Let go of me"

"Damm." John cursed, not liking how worked up Dean was getting. "Dean? Dean, listen to me. If I bring Sam up here, will you stop fighting me and stay in bed?"

John sighed in relief when finally Dean nodded and went still, relaxing back down onto the bed.

"Thank you. Now stay put and I'll go get your brother."

Dean watched John leave and took a few deep breaths to try and clear the foggy feeling from his head. The first thing he became aware of when he woke was the pain, the next was the feeling of someone's hands on him, but none of that mattered when he realised he couldn't see Sam. He remembered being in shower, then his whole body had felt like his fire and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor in John's arms. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened but he knew his brother wasn't here and he needed him here. He needed to know Sam was safe.

Dean stared at the bedroom door and scowled. If John wasn't back with Sam in next few minutes then Dean was going to find him himself.

* * *

Mary crouched down in front of Sam, who was sat curled up as far as possible in one corner of the couch. "Sam, honey. I need to ask you an important question, okay?"

Sam's shaking suddenly increased.

"It's okay," Mary reached out and took one of his trembling hands into hers, she rubbed the skin soothingly. "It's okay, you don't have be afraid, Sam. Nothing bad is going happen, alright? But I need you to answer the question honestly, okay?"

"Yes, M'am."

Mary gave him a reassuring smile. "Are you hurt anywhere, sweetie? Are you in any pain?" She had seen the sickening abuse littering Dean's body and she knew there was high chance that Sam was probably hiding injuries too.

Sam didn't know what to say. He wasn't hurt. Not like Dean was hurt. Yes, he still had a few bruises from where his uncle had deliberately pushed him down the front steps of the house but they barely even hurt anymore, well his shoulder still throbbed sometimes.

"Sam, there's no need to be frightened or ashamed. I'm not going to get mad and I'm not going to hurt you, but if you're hurt then you need to tell me."

"Just my shoulder." Sam answered, quietly.

"Can I take a look?"

Sam's head shot up at that. "Dean already looked at it. He said it wasn't broken, just bruised and he helped me ice it. It's doesn't even really hurt that much anymore."

"I'm sure Dean did a really good job taking care of you, but I'd still like to have a look if that's okay with you?"

"I want Dean." Sam wasn't used to this. He wasn't used to adults being kind to him or caring if he was hurt. Dean was the only one who had ever looked after or helped him.

Mary felt her heart break for the poor boy when she realised her kindness was that unfamiliar to Sam, that it was actually scaring him. She squeezed his hand gently. "I know you're frightened but all I want to do is have a quick look to check you're okay, that's it."

After a few more moments, Sam finally nodded and slowly moved his top down to reveal his shoulder. Mary carefully examined the bruised skin, smiling in relief when she saw that it wasn't too swollen and didn't look broken or fractured. It still looked sore though. "That's a nasty knock you've got there." She smiled softly him. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I fell," mumbled Sam.

Mary knew that there was much more to it than that but now wasn't the time to push things, so she just nodded. "Okay, well I think Dean's right about it not being broken but how about we have the doctor take a look at it when he gets here? Just to be on the safe side."

Sam ignored the questioned. "Can I go see Dean now, please?"

"I think that's a good idea." John said as he walked into the living room. "Dean's awake and he's asking for you."

Mary nodded. "You two go on up and sit with Dean. I'll send the doctor up when he gets here."

* * *

The doctor had shown up just a few minutes later and he'd been able to examine both Dean and Sam without too much trouble. As long as the boys remained within sight of one another they were both relatively calm, although neither boy seemed to like being touched and Dean's anxiety definitely shot up a notch whenever someone was touching Sam.

John had remained in the room with the boys during the doctor's examination, while Mary had stayed downstairs to call Sam and Dean's caseworker so she could inform them of what had happened.

Dr. Saunders had bathed, cleaned and dressed Dean various injuries and with John's help they had managed to dress Dean in a T-shirt and some sweat pants that had been leftover from one of John and Mary's previous foster kids. Dean had been given both painkillers and some antibiotics to help prevent any infection from setting in, and he was now resting in the bed as he watched the doctor finish his examination of Sam's shoulder.

"Okay, young man, all done." The doctor patted Sam kindly on his non injured shoulder. "Keep it iced and rested and it should heal up nicely."

"Thank you, doc." John said and Dr. Saunders nodded, packing up his medical supplies.

"No problem. Now you boys rest up and I'll see you again soon," he smiled at them both before turning back to John. "Could I have a quick word with you outside?"

John nodded. "Sure. I won't be long boys."

After John and the doctor had left, Dean turned his full attention back on Sam. His brother had been sat silent and still on the other bed the whole time the doctor had been examining Dean, but Dean knew that he would been watching and listening to everything that had been done and said. He knew his brother was terrified and he also knew that Sam was desperately trying to hold back from taking comfort in Dean's arms in case that caused Dean more pain. "Sam, C'mere here. It's okay. I'm fine."

Dean extended his arms out in invitation and he soon had his arms full of anxious little brother. "You really scared me, De." Sam exhaled shakily. "You wouldn't wake up and I thought you were gonna die."

"Shhh Sammy." Dean ran his fingers soothingly through his brother's hair. "I'm gonna be fine. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Sam sniffed, clearly trying to fight back tears. "Why didn't you tell me you were this badly hurt?" Three days ago his Uncle Mick had dragged Dean out of the house and into the car. Sam remembered the bone deep terror as he watched the car drive away. Dean's punishments were always so much worse when he was taken out of the house. Once Dean was gone, Sam's aunt had locked him in his bedroom and there Sam had sat, chewing his nails bloody as he waited for Dean to come home. That finally happened four hours later and Sam had instantly been at his brother side in a rush of questions. What happened? Are you hurt? Are you in pain? Let me see? Dean had just lowered himself down onto their filthy mattress and pulled Sam down with him, wrapping him up in his arms and telling him that he was okay. That it was just a few bruises, nothing to worry about. Dean had lied.

"Honestly, Sam. I'm gonna be okay. It was nothing I couldn't handle, alright?"

"You should have told me. You should have let me help."

"C'mon Sam. Let's not argue about this, kay?" Dean rested his chin on top of Sam's head and pulled his little brother closer to him, rubbing comforting circles across his back. "I'm sorry I scared you, kiddo."

"Just don't ever do that again," huffed Sam, burrowing further into his brother's embrace but still mindful of his injuries.

"Dean?" Sam asked after a few moments silence.

"Yeah kiddo?"

"Are you wearing a Spiderman top?"

Dean let out a disgruntled grunt at the smirk on his baby brother's face. "Shut up. It's not my fault the last kid the Winchester's fostered in my size had some seriously bad fashion tastes. And hear I was thinking we had issues."

Sam giggled softly and Dean ruffled his hair affectionately.

* * *

Dr. Saunders had spoken to both John and Mary about Dean's injuries and treatment. He assured them that while painful, his wounds were mostly superficial and should heal fine as long as they were kept clean. He was of course concerned about both Dean and Sam's emotional states due the abuse they had both clearly suffered. "I'm certain they are both going to need extensive counselling but I am assuming that is something that will be sorted out with social services?"

Mary nodded. "Thank you so much for coming out, Dr. Saunders. We really appreciate out."

"Not a problem. I'll make sure to send a full report of my examination to social services. I'll also be recommending that both boys should be taken to a hospital as soon as it can be arranged, to receive a full health check up." Dr. Saunders then handed John and Mary some more painkillers and antibiotics for Dean, before saying his goodbyes and telling them to call him if they have any more concerns about either boy.

Mary saw the doctor out then turned her attention back to John."I spoke to Becca on the phone, and let her know that there is definitely evidence that the boys have suffered pyshical abuse as well as neglect. She seemed surprised and promised she'd be over tomorrow morning to investigate further."

"I can't believe they didn't think to check if the boys were hurt? I mean, Christ, Mary, did you see the state Dean was in? How the hell did they miss something like that?" John sighed, running a hand over his face. "Is it just me or does something just not seem right about all this? First, the aunt and uncle somehow fall through the cracks and aren't checked like should be, then when the boys are finally taken no one notices that they're hurt."

Mary shook her head. "I don't know how it was missed either, but right now we need to focus on helping those two boys upstairs. We can figure everything else out later."

* * *

An hour later and they were all sat down to dinner. The boys were sat side by side; their chairs scooted as close together as possible. Sam was now also dressed in some spare clothes that Mary had found for him after he'd taken a bath, which compared to Dean's shower ordeal had gone a lot more smoothly. It was made clear by Dean that John and Mary were definitely not welcome in the bathroom while Sam was bathing, but Dean had allowed Mary to bring him in some fresh towels. She'd been relieved when she saw that even though Sam had evidence of older scars and marks, his body seemed relatively free of any recent injuries.

"I've just made a simple cheese pasta for tonight. I hope that's okay with you both?" Mary smiled as she set the dishes down on the table.

Dean felt his stomach clench up at the sight of the food in front of him. He was starving but he knew he wasn't going to be eating anything. He couldn't risk it. He still wasn't sure about the Winchesters, especially John. And if John decided he wanted to take things out on Dean later then Dean didn't want to have any food in his stomach. Getting the crap beat out of you after eating usually led to vomiting and it always hurt so much more when Dean threw up. He felt Sam tapping his leg repeatedly and when he looked down, his brother was looking up at him, his eyes hopeful and Dean nodded letting Sam know it was okay for him to eat. His brother also had issues with food but for a whole different reason than Dean.

Mary frowned when she noticed that while Sam was practically inhaling his food, Dean was just ignoring his. He was just sat there, staring blankly ahead. "Dean, you okay? Don't you like pasta? I can make you something else if you want."

"I'm not hungry." Dean mumbled.

Sam stopped eating and looked up at his brother worriedly. "Dean?" Why wasn't Dean eating? Sam knew the food must be okay otherwise Dean wouldn't have given him the go ahead to eat it. So, why wasn't he eating anything?

Dean's expression softened when he turned to Sam. "It's fine, Sammy. The painkiller's the doc gave me have just dulled my appetite, that's all." It was a lie but one he hoped his brother and the Winchesters would buy.

Thankfully they did and even though Mary kept shooting him concerned glances, the rest of dinner passed quickly and Dean and Sam were allowed back to their room to settle down for the night.

* * *

Despite there being two beds in the room, Dean knew they would be only sleeping in one. There was no way Dean was leaving his brother unprotected and vulnerable in a bed on his own. Even though the Winchesters had been all nice and caring so far, that didn't mean it couldn't all change at any moment, and if that moment happened to be tonight, Dean was going to make sure he was the one in line of fire first not Sammy.

Selecting the bed closet to the wall and further away from the door, Dean ushered Sam in first before climbing in beside him. The soft mattress beneath him and the clean, warm blankets covering him took some getting used to. At his uncle's, the mattress was bumpy with broken springs digging in your back whenever you moved and the sheet they had had for blanket was stained, smelling of mould and damp. The bed he was in now was of course the better of the two but somehow it just didn't feel right, and judging from the squirming around Sam was doing his brother agreed.

"You alright, Sammy?"

Sam nodded, finally stilling as he snuggled closer to Dean. "Just trying to get comfortable."

"I know everything's really different right now but it's all gonna be okay." Dean tucked the covers more snugly around them. "And the Winchesters don't seem so bad, who knows maybe things might work out here." Even though he didn't believe the words he was saying, he said them anyway because Sammy needed to hear them. He wanted Sam to have hope, he wanted him to feel safe even if it was just for a little while.

"Dean?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"What if...what...if..."

Dean was instantly alert at the sound of Sammy's stammering, and he reached out, gently cupping his cheek. "Hey, what is it? What's wrong?"

Sam lowered his head, his bangs falling in front of his eyes as he whispered, "What if they find about me? About what I am."

"They won't, Sam."

"But Dad did." Sam's voice was small and frightened. "And Uncle Mick and Aunt Janice did too. They found out and that's when thing's got really bad, and if John and Mary find out then...then it..."

"Hey, hey," Dean hooked his fingers under Sam's chin, raising his head to look in his eyes. "They won't find out, Sammy." He ran his thumb softly under his brother's eyelid, wiping away the tear that had fallen. "And even if they do find out, it doesn't matter because I won't let them hurt you, alright? I promise."

Sam nodded, sniffling lightly before once more settling in his brother's arms. "I love you, Dean."

"I love you too, kiddo. Now get some sleep, okay?"

"Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about mom again?" Sam whispered, closing his eyes.

Dean couldn't help stiffening. He didn't like thinking about his mom. Apart from Sam, she had been the only good thing he'd ever had in his whole life. His world when she was in it had been safe and beautiful. There had been no pain or fear, just love and laughter. The day she had died, everything changed, and it hurt Dean to think back on those times when everything had been so different. Sam though, Sam loved hearing about mom. He was just a baby when she died and he seemed to take great comfort in the stories Dean would tell about her.

"Please, Dean."

And because Dean had never been able to deny his brother anything, he began to talk.

"Mom was beautiful. Her skin was so soft and she always smelt like vanilla. She was the kindest person you could ever meet and she loved everyone, but do you know who she loved the most?"

"Who?"

"You." Dean smiled. "She loved you so much, Sammy."

"And you. She loved you the most too."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, she loved us both more than anything. She even loved you when you were first born and you were all red, squiggly and alien looking."

"Hey." Sam protested. "You always said I was a cute baby."

"Nope." Dean teased. "You were the freakiest thing I'd ever seen, but then you kinda grew on me."

Sam hit Dean playfully on the shoulder. "I bet I was prettier looking baby than you."

Dean laughed. "Dude, I can assure you I was most adorable baby ever. Anyway despite the fact you were lacking in the looks department, mom loved you from the first moment she saw you. She would spend hours in your nursery just playing with us and she would always tell me how lucky she felt, that she had the two most perfect boys in the whole world. If I was sick, she would snuggle with me on the couch and feed me chicken noodle soup, and when you would fuss and cry, she would rock you in her arms and sing you 'Hey Jude.' But you hardly ever cried." Dean ran his hand lovingly through Sam's hair. "You were such a good baby."

"Until I killed her." Sam whispered, tears once more slowly falling from his eyes.

"Hey, No." Dean said, firmly. "That's not true. You didn't kill anyone, Sam. Mom died protecting you. It wasn't your fault, you hear me? It wasn't your fault."

Sam let out a sob and Dean tightened his arms around him. "Shhh. Don't cry. It's okay. Shhh."

After a few more tears, Sam quietened and rested his head on Dean's shoulder. "She's an angel now right? She's watching over us?"

"Yeah, Sammy." Dean replied. "Mom's watching over us. She'll keep us safe, so close your eyes and get some sleep now, alright?"

Dean kept up his soothing stroking of Sam's hair until his brother's breathing finally evened out and he succumbed to sleep. Dean was lying of course. He didn't really believe their mom was watching over them. He had long since stopped believing in the possibilities of heaven and angels. There was no one watching over them. No one was protecting them. They were all alone.

Sighing, he placed a light kiss on Sam's forehead. "Don't worry, Sammy," he whispered. "As long as I'm around, nothing bad is going to happen to you."

* * *

Mary turned over towards John when she felt him slide into bed beside her. "Everything okay, baby?"

"Yeah. Just checked on the boys."

"They asleep?"

He nodded. "They're in the same bed though and they're still clinging desperately to each other even in their sleep."

Mary sighed, sadly. "They really don't seem to like being apart. Poor Sam was practically vibrating when Dean was taking a shower and he was separated from him."

"It's not healthy." John remarked.

Mary was a little taken aback by the abrupt statement. "The two of them have been living in a world of hell, and suffering things I can only imagine, it's no wonder they have formed such strong attachments to each other."

John smiled softly. "I know, and I said it wasn't healthy not that it wasn't understandable. Look, all I'm trying to say is that it's an issue that's going to need to be worked on. It's not good for them to be on the brink of a panic attack whenever they're apart, and Dean's protectiveness of Sam can be downright scary at times." John shook his head and chuckled softly. "I swear Dean looked liked he was two seconds away from clocking me one when he woke up and I wouldn't let him go to Sam. The boy seems to have no idea how to protect himself but when his brother's involved, he's like this whole other person."

"We're going to have to go very slowly in dealing with this. All they have had is each other for so long now and learning to be away from one another isn't going to be easy for them."

John nodded, pulling Mary into his arms as they settled down in the bed. "I know but they have us now." He placed a gentle kiss on Mary's head, "They're not alone anymore."

**TBC.**

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review and constructive criticism is always welcome :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**:- Thank you to everyone for all the feedback and encouragement :) I hope you all continue to enjoy the story :)

**Chapter Three.**

It was still dark outside when Sam woke and he guessed he must have only been asleep a few hours. Dean's arms were still tightly wrapping him in a cocoon of safety and Sam was going to just snuggle back down to sleep, but then he caught sight of Dean's face and froze.

Dean's face was wet. Sam felt his breath catch in his throat, his brother was crying. Dean was still asleep but tears were slowly falling from his closed eyelids.

"Don't cry, De." Sam whispered, reaching out to gently wipe away the salty tracks. "It's gonna be okay." Dean rarely cried when he was awake, but Sam had woken a quite a few times to find Dean crying in his sleep, and each time made Sam's heart feel like it might shatter.

Sam looked his brother over and frowned. Dean didn't look good at all. He was pale and the dark circles under his eyes were a horrible deep purple colour. Sam was still worried that Dean hadn't eaten anything at dinner. Dean needed to eat. At his uncle's they were hardly given any food, and when they were fed, Dean would usually give Sam most of whatever he had.

Dean's forehead suddenly scrunched up in what looked like pain or fear. Sam didn't like either option. "Shhh, Dean." He softly tried to stroke the worry lines away. "Don't worry. I'm going to take care of you."

Carefully, Sam disentangled himself from his brother's hold and left the bed. He padded over to the door, placing his ear to it and listening for any noise that could indicate that John and Mary were awake. Not hearing anything, he tried the doorknob, letting out of sigh of relief when he found the door was unlocked.

"I won't be long, Dean," he whispered at his brother's sleeping form, before slipping quietly from the room.

* * *

Moving as silently as he could, Sam made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. He knew what he was doing was extremely risky, and he could feel his heart hammering in chest but he had to do this. From the way Dean was sleeping, he knew his brother would be waking up soon and Sam wanted to make sure he had something to eat.

He opened the fridge door and peered curiously inside. He had to be sure not to take anything that would be easy for the Winchesters to miss. Sam knew if he got caught, he would end up being really badly punished. He couldn't help remembering the three days of punishment he'd received when he'd been caught trying to sneak some food at his uncle's. Not even Dean had been able to protect him that time, he'd tried though and Sam could still hear his brother's broken voice as he begged his uncle to stop. Sam shivered at the memory and desperately tried to push the fear down.

Sam smiled when he spotted the peanut butter. It was Dean's favourite. He was always telling Sam stories about how their mom had made the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the whole world. The peanut butter was in a jar too, which meant John and Mary might not notice if some went missing.

He gathered what he needed to the make the sandwich and put the supplies down on the kitchen table. He would be quick. He'd make Dean the sandwich, wash the knife he used, wipe down the kitchen table and put everything back exactly where he had had found it. Everything would be fine, no one would ever know he'd been here and Dean would have something to eat.

"Sam?"

Sam flinched violently, the knife he was holding clattering to the floor. John was standing in the doorway, frowning. Terror flooded through Sam's body, his mind stuck on a continuous chant of _'Oh god, oh god, oh god.'_ He immediately started backing away, shaking his head frantically.

John looked from the half made sandwich on the table to Sam, and he winced at the look of pure fear on the boy's face. "Sam, what's going on?" He took a step towards him and Sam instantly scrambled further away from him, whimpering when his back collided with the fridge.

John raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Whoa. Easy there, kiddo. It's okay."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

John felt his heart twist at the desperate sound of Sam's voice. "It's okay, Sam. Everything's alright." John once more glanced at the abandoned food on the table. "Were you hungry, buddy?"

"I...I...sorry...I'm sorry..." Sam started panting harshly and when John took another step closer, he let out a mewl of terror. His eyes darted around room, looking for a means of escape but John was blocking the only route to door, leaving him trapped.

"Sam, you need to calm down, okay? Everything's fine. You haven't done anything wrong. It's okay if you were hungry. If you want something to eat, you can have it. No one's mad. No one's going to hurt you." John kept his voice as low and soothing as he could.

Sam tried to call out for his brother but he couldn't seem to draw in enough air, and all that came out was distressed whines and whimpers.

John's eyebrows drew together in serious concern at Sam's stuttered breathing. "Sam, you gotta breathe, bud. Just relax and..."

"Get away from him."

John swung round to see Dean stood in the doorway. The teen's hands were curled into fists, his jaw clenched in anger and when John met his eyes, Dean's gaze was hard and furious.

Even through his terror, Sam recognised the sound of Dean's voice and he instinctively tried to move towards it, but his legs felt like jelly and he stumbled, unable to make it more than a few steps before his legs were giving way beneath him.

John reacted quickly, reaching out to grab a hold of Sam's arms to prevent him from crumbling to floor, and that's when Sam lost it.

Sam could no longer see John. In his mind, it was his uncle's hands that were grabbing him. Any second now he was going to be dragged up to _'that'_ room and he would been tied to the bed, unable to move as his uncle rained blow after blow down on his body. He could already hear the sound of belt as it cut through the air; feel the pain as it tore through his skin.

"Sammy!"

John didn't think he'd ever seen anyone move so fast. He barely had time to blink before a now thrashing Sam was pulled out of his arms and cocooned in his brother's. Dean moved them over to the corner of the room, lowering them both the floor so that they were kneeling face to face, their forehead's touching. Sam was making harsh gasping noises as he shook in his brother's arms.

"Sammy? Sam, its okay. It's me, it's Dean. You're okay, Sammy. I'm here now. Can you hear me?" Dean pulled one of Sam's trembling hands to his own chest. "Sam, you gotta slow your breathing down. Can you feel that?" Dean pressed Sam's hand more firmly against him, so he could feel the rise and fall of his chest. "Focus on my breathing, Sam. C'mon, Sammy, you can do it. Breathe with me, kiddo. In and out. In and out."

Slowly, Sam began responding to his brother's instructions and he was able to suck in some much needed air. "De...please...don't let Mick...De..." he panted, fisting his hand into the fabric of Dean's shirt.

"Shhh, Sammy. You're safe. Mick's not here. You're safe. I'm here and nothing is going to hurt you. Just breathe, Sam. Just breathe, Shhh." Dean curled one his hands around the nape of Sam's neck, rubbing the skin there soothingly.

"That's it, kiddo. Breathe," encouraged Dean.

John watched the scene in front of him with a mixture of horror and sadness. As Sam began to calm, John made a move towards them. "Dean?"

Dean felt Sam stiffen at the sound of John's voice, and Dean's lips curled up into a snarl. "Stay back." Once John stopped his approach, Dean turned his focus back to his brother. "Sammy? You back with me, little brother?"

Sam nodded, taking comfort in the feel of Dean's heartbeat beneath his hand.

"What happened, Sammy?"

Sam took a deep breath, letting it out shakily. "I just...I just wanted to make you a sandwich," he sniffled. "I'm sorry, De."

Dean's eyes briefly glanced over at the items on the table. "Oh Sammy," he breathed.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, buddy." Dean's squeezed the back of his neck reassuringly. "I'll take care of it, alright? You think you can make it back up to the bedroom?"

Sam's gaze momentarily flickered fearfully over to John. "But..."

"It's fine, Sam." Dean helped his brother back to his feet. "You just go on upstairs and I'll be up in a minute, okay?"

Sam didn't move for a few moments. He knew what Dean was doing. He was sending Sam out of the way so that John would take his anger out on Dean instead, but this was Sam's mistake and as frightened as he was, he didn't want Dean getting hurt because of him.

"Sam, please." Dean whispered. "I need you to go back upstairs for me."

Sam hesitated but finally nodded and did as Dean asked. Dean sighed in relief before turning to face John. "Listen, whatever happened, none of it is Sam's fault, okay? It's mine and if you're gonna punish anyone, it's gonna be me. You don't touch him, got it?"

John shook his head, sadly. "Dean..."

"Look, you can do whatever you want to me, okay? I won't fight you but you leave Sam alone."

Dean was stood in front of him, his expression blank and his voice monotone but John could see the minute shivers going across his body, he could see the hidden fear in the kid's eyes. "I'm not going to do anything to either of you, Dean. I'm not going to hurt you or Sam, alright? I never would. I promise."

Dean snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, right."

"I know you don't trust me and I understand that..."

"You understand nothing." Dean snapped.

John sighed, his expression full of sadness and sympathy. "You're right, I don't understand what you or Sam have been through, but Dean please believe me when I say you are both safe here. No one is going to be punished for wanting something to eat. You can eat whenever you like here, alright?"

Dean remained silent, his head down.

"Are you hungry, Dean? Did you want something to eat?"

"No." Dean replied automatically.

"Are you sure? Sam was making that sandwich for you. He must have thought you were hungry," said John, gently.

"Well, I'm not."

John knew he was lying, that for some reason Dean was afraid to eat. "Dean. I know you're hungry, kid. Why don't you want to eat?"

Dean ignored the question and shuffled awkwardly on his feet. "Can I go see Sam, now?"

John ran a hand tiredly over his face, he wanted to get an answer but he knew that it wasn't the right time to push. "Sure Dean. You two try and get some more sleep, okay? We'll talk some more in the morning, alright?"

"Terrific," grumbled Dean and he quickly made his way out of the room, leaving John to clean up in the kitchen.

* * *

Dean walked back into the bedroom and found Sam curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, his whole body shaking as he chewed anxiously on his fingernails.

"Dean!" Sam shot up when he saw his brother, rushing to his side. "Are you okay? You hurt?"

Dean shook his head, giving Sam a small smile to reassure him. "I'm alright, Sammy. Nothing happened."

Sam wrapped his arms tightly around Dean. "Thank god."

Dean sighed, hugging his brother close to him. "Sam, what did you think you were doing, man? Sneaking off like that?"

"I'm sorry Dean. I just wanted to get you something to eat." Sam replied, his voice muffled by Dean's shirt.

"Do you know how worried I was when I woke up and you weren't there?" Dean scolded. "I don't even know why you would risk taking food like that, Sam. I mean you can't even eat the food that you are given unless someone tells you it's okay to do it."

It was true. Ever since his uncle punished him for stealing food that one time, Sam refused to eat unless someone gave him permission.

"I wasn't taking it for me. I was taking it for you," mumbled Sam into Dean's shoulder.

"Sam," breathed Dean. "You didn't have to do that for me." Dean knew how frightened his brother must have been. Sam was terrified to eat anything without permission, yet he had still tried to take food because he thought Dean needed it.

"I just wanted to do something to help you feel better."

"I'm fine, Sammy."

Sam shifted uneasily in his arms and he pulled back a little so he could see Dean's face. "You were crying."

Dean furrowed his brow in confusion. "What?"

"In your sleep," Sam admitted, his voice quiet. "You were crying in your sleep, Dean, and I just wanted to make you feel better"

Dean closed his eyes and gathered Sam back to him, tucking Sam's head under his chin. "I'm sorry, Sammy."

"What for?"

"For making you feel like you had to take such a risk just to help me."

Sam sighed, moving out of his brother's embrace to sit on the bed. "It's not your fault, Dean. I wanted to do it. I wanted to try and do something to make it up to you."

Dean was confused again. "Make it up to me? Sam, what are talking about?"

"All this is my fault, Dean. Everything you've been through, everything's that's happened to you, it's because of me." Sam felt tears prickling in his eyes. "Because I'm evil."

"Sam, stop that." Dean demanded, firmly. He hated it when is little brother spoke about himself like that. "You're not evil, Sam. There's nothing evil about you."

"Dad said I am. He said I killed mom" Sam mumbled, hanging his head.

"Yeah, well dad's a drunk, abusive asshole who doesn't know what he's talking about." Dean snapped, immediately softening his voice when he saw Sam flinch at his tone. "You're not evil, Sammy and mom dying was not your fault."

Sam looked back up at his brother. "But I'm not normal, Dean. We both know that."

Dean sighed, slumping down besides him on the bed. "Maybe not, but that doesn't make you evil. You don't have a bad bone in your body, Sam." He placed a affectionate kiss on the top of his head. "You're not evil. You're my pain in the ass little brother and I'm never going to let anything happen to you."

Sam sighed, resting his head on Dean's shoulder. "I'm tired."

Dean smiled. "Let's get you some more sleep then, kiddo." He pulled his brother down in the bed with him, tucking the covers around them. "And this time, no sneaking off while I'm still asleep."

"Kay, Dean. I promise."

* * *

Mary blinked her eyes awake, turning over to face John when she felt him slip into the bed. "John?"

"Yeah, sweetheart. It's just me. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Everything alright?" she asked, sleepily.

"It's fine. The boys just woke up, that's all."

Mary was instantly alert. "They okay?"

John smiled softly. "Shhh, they're fine, baby. They're both back in bed now. I'll explain everything in the morning, just go back to sleep, okay?"

John put his arms around Mary, as she nodded and snuggled into his embrace. He ran his hands gently through her hair, soothing her back to sleep. It was while before John was able to fall back asleep. He lay awake thinking about the two boys in the next room. The Winchesters had fostered a lot of children, and cared for a lot of traumatised kids with numerous problems, but Dean and Sam had to be worst case John had seen. They were both just so broken and John worried if he and Mary would be able handle looking after them. That didn't mean he wasn't going to try, there was no way he was going to give up on either of them. He just hoped that he could find a way to help them and that they weren't broken beyond repair.

**TBC.**

Thank you for taking the time to read. Please review. Concrit is always welcome :)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N 1:-** Okay, I have edited the previous chapters to include line breaks. I did actually have line breaks in the story to begin with but for some reason they got deleted when I uploaded the story. I have no idea why. :( Apologies if this made it difficult for anyone to read.

**A/N 2:-** Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story and I'm very grateful to all those who have found time to leave a review. Your comments are really appreciated. :)

**Chapter Four.**

"I can't believe you let them get taken away."

"Relax, Tommy. Here. Drink." Mick slid the glass of whiskey over to his currently very pissed off brother in law.

Tom downed the liquid in one gulp, slamming the glass back down. "Don't tell me to relax."

Mick let out an irritated huff. "Look, it's not my fault that god damm school can't mind their own bloody business"

"You should have been more careful." Tom snapped.

"Me?" Mick laughed. "What about you? If you hadn't beat Dean half to death that one time then you never would of gotten them taken off you in the first place."

"Well, we need to find a way to get Dean back," growled Tom. "Do you know how much money that kid makes us? We can't afford to lose him."

Mick poured them both another drink. "Don't worry. We'll get 'em both back."

Tom snorted in disgust. "I don't care about that little brat. I need Dean back."

"That little brat is the only way to control Dean," replied Mick. "Without him there's no way Dean will do what we want."

Tom scowled, reaching for his drink. "Whatever Mick. Just find a way to fix this and do it fast."

* * *

Both boys were looking jittery when they came down for breakfast the next morning. John had filled Mary in on what had happened the night before and she suspected the boys were probably still worried that there were going to be repercussions. They seemed to relax a fraction when neither John nor Mary mentioned last nights events, but Dean still kept Sam as close as possible and he still didn't eat anything.

Mary frowned in concern. "Dean, sweetie, is there something you'd prefer? What if you just had some toast or I could make you some cereal?"

Dean looked down at his untouched cooked breakfast and gave his standard reply, "I'm not hungry."

"Dean, you need to eat something, buddy." John said.

Dean picked up his fork but just used it to push the food around his plate.

John and Mary exchanged worried glances. They both knew that they had to find some way to get Dean eating soon.

"So, what's going to happen today? Are those social workers coming back for us?" Dean asked.

Sam's head shot up from his food in alarm and he scooted his chair closer to Dean. He didn't want the social workers to take them away again. They might take them back to their uncle or they might dump them some place even worse.

"Your social workers are coming over this morning but not to take you anywhere." Mary smiled, reassuringly. "They're just coming over to ask you a few questions, then afterwards I thought we could take a trip shopping and see about getting you both some new clothes."

Dean sat up straighter in his chair. "What kind of questions?"

"Dean, there's nothing to worry about." Mary assured. "They just want to talk to you, that's all."

"I'll talk to them but I don't want them asking Sam any questions."

"I think they'll want to speak to both of you, Dean." Mary said, gently.

Dean scowled and John could tell he was getting worked up so he stepped in to calm things down. "Look, why don't we just see what happens when they get here, okay? Dean, no one is going to make you or Sam do anything and you don't have to tell them anything you don't want to tell them, alright?"

* * *

It turned out that Dean didn't want to tell them anything at all. He completely shut down when Becca and Jake arrived and their questions of "Can you tell how me you got those marks?" and "Has anyone ever hurt you?" were all met with the same answer. Silence. Things didn't go any better with Sam. They had barely finished asking their first question before Sam burst in tears and hid behind Dean. That's when John stepped in and suggested they call it a day for now.

Becca and Jake had then spoken to John and Mary, and informed them that they would be putting their new findings into the case they were building on the uncle, however without Dean or Sam admitting to any abuse it was going to make it difficult for any abuse allegations against the uncle stick. They promised that they were looking into finding counselling as soon as possible for both boys and that they were arranging for them both have full physicals within the next few days.

John had voiced his concerns about how the boys injuries were missed in the first place, which was met with a very stiff, "I can assure you Mr. Winchester that a full investigation is taking place," from Jake. That didn't actually reassure John at all but as there wasn't much he could do about it, he let it go for now.

Becca and Jake had left promising they would be in touch again soon, and John and Mary were left alone with a tearful Sam and an angry, protective Dean.

* * *

Dean shifted Sam in his arms so that his sleeping brother was lying more comfortably across the couch. It had been few hours since the social workers had left and Dean had spent them on the couch with Sammy, calming him down.

After the upset of the social workers, it was decided that is was probably best that Mary went shopping without them and so they had been left at the house with John.

John had tried to talk to them but Dean hadn't answered him, all his attention focused on his brother, and after picking up on the fact he wasn't wanted right now, John had smiled and said that if they needed anything he would be just outside working on his Impala. Although he hadn't shown it, Dean couldn't help but prick his ears up when he heard the word Impala.

Looking down at his brother, he knew Sammy would be a sleep for at least a few hours and carefully he moved him out of his arms and onto the couch. "Won't be long, kiddo." He stroked his brother's hair softly before walking towards the front door. He would just have a real quick look at the Impala and then he'd be right back.

John was working under the hood of his car, adjusting the carburettor when he got the sensation he was being watched. Looking over his shoulder, he was surprised to find Dean stood a few steps away from the front door, watching him with a look of wonder or rather he was looking at the Impala with a look of wonder.

"Hey Dean." Placing the tools he been using down, John turned round to face him. "Everything okay?"

Dean nodded, his eyes roaming over the sleek exterior of the Impala.

"She a real beauty isn't she?" John smiled, patting the roof of the car affectionately. "You wanna come over and take look?"

Dean just shrugged, trying his best to look impassive but John could see the spark of interest in his eyes. "C'mon Dean, why don't you come have a look?"

Dean shook his head and even though he took a step back, he didn't disappear back into the house.

"Okay, well I guess I'll get back to work. If you decide you want to take a look then just come on over, and if you don't want to then that's okay too."

Dean watched as John set back to work under the hood. He was torn. His feet itched to move closer and get a better look at the car but that would mean getting closer to John, and even though the man hadn't laid a hand on him, he was still wary, especially since John now also had tools to hand and Dean had first hand knowledge about how much damage tools like that could do.

In the end though, his curiosity won out and he found himself inching closer to the car. Dean had always liked cars, especially classic cars and John was right, the Impala was a beauty. He had never got the chance to pursue any kind of interest when he lived with his dad or uncle, but whenever he'd been allowed to school, he had always enjoyed reading the books they had on classic cars in the library.

Before he knew it, Dean was stood beside John, his head titled curiously as he watched him work. John didn't say anything about him coming over but Dean thought he saw him smile.

Over the next hour Dean listened intently as John explained all about his beloved Impala, what he was doing to her and why, and Dean was surprised to find himself actually relaxing at the sound of John's voice. Dean never felt at ease around adults, especially men and while he didn't exactly feel safe around John, he didn't feel unsafe around him either. It was an unfamiliar feeling and he wasn't too sure what to make of it.

"Okay, I think we better call it a day." John smiled, wiping his oily hands on an old rag. "Mary's gonna be back from shopping soon and I need to make a start on lunch."

Dean nodded, taking a step back so John could close the Impala's hood.

"You know it was real nice to have someone out here helping me."

"But I didn't help. I didn't do anything."

"You kept me company." John smiled. "And if you want to help me again sometime then I could show you a few things that you can try yourself."

"Maybe." Dean replied, shuffling a little awkwardly on his feet.

"Well, you're welcome anytime." John said and he meant it. He had seen how the tension had slowly left Dean when they had been working on the car and he had shown a genuine interest in what John had been talking about. "Come on, let's go get cleaned up."

As soon as they got back in the house, Dean immediately went to check on Sam, smiling when he saw his brother was still sleeping peacefully although he looked like he would probably be waking soon. "Be right back, Sam. I'm just gonna go get cleaned up," he whispered.

Dean walked into the kitchen just as John was taking of his shirt and tossing it into the washing machine, leaving him clad just in a white vest top.

"Sam okay?" John asked.

"He's sleeping but he should be awake soon." Dean replied and that's when he noticed scar on the front of John's shoulder.

"Is there anything either of you would like for lunch?" John knew Dean wouldn't ask for anything but he had to try and get him to eat something.

"Anything's fine."

Dean's voice sounded distracted and John realised that Dean's eyes were laser focused on the scar on his shoulder.

"I wasn't paying attention." John stated.

Dean blinked, finally tearing his gaze away from the mark to look back up at John. "What?"

"The scar. I got it because I wasn't paying enough attention. It was on one of first assignments as a marine. I got distracted and ended up getting jumped by the enemy. I managed the win the fight but he left me with this, courtesy of his knife."

John was shocked when Dean suddenly pulled his shirt down to reveal an almost identical scar on his shoulder. "My dad did this with a broken beer bottle."

Dean's voice was emotionless, as if what he had just said was something perfectly normal, and John felt his stomach twist in disgust at the thought of a father doing that to his own son.

"I'm very sorry that happened to you, Dean." John tried his best to keep his tone neutral, not wanting to Dean to pick up on the revulsion he was feeling and think it was aimed at him. "I'm sorry you had to go through something like that. Your dad should never have done that to you."

John was not expecting what Dean said next.

"I'm glad it was me."

"What?"

"He was aiming for Sam." Dean said simply, turning away from John and walking over to the sink to clean his hands.

Dean didn't say anything else but John didn't him need him to, it was clear what he meant. Their father had intended to stab Sam so Dean had put himself in the way instead.

Dean's hands shook as he washed the oil and dirt away. He had no idea why he had just done that. He had never willingly spoken to anyone about his injuries before or shown them his scars. One minute he had been staring at John's scar, then before he even had time to think about it he was revealing his own. Dean cursed under his breath when he couldn't get his hands to stop trembling, he didn't know why this way affecting him so much. It's not like getting stabbed by the beer bottle was the worst thing that had ever been done to him, compared to the stuff that had happened to him at his uncle's, the beer bottle incident had been a walk in the park.

"Dean, you alright?"

Dean heard the concern in John's voice, he'd heard it before, but this time he felt like he might actually be beginning to believe it and it confused the hell out of him.

* * *

"So, what did you boys get up to while I was gone?" asked Mary when they were all sat down to lunch.

"Dean got to help John with the car." Sam answered and Mary thought she saw him pout slightly.

"You were sleeping, Sammy," sighed Dean. His brother had been less than happy about missing out on helping out with the Impala.

"You could have woken me." Sam huffed.

John couldn't help but chuckle. "I promise you can help out next time, Sam."

"Oh dear," smiled Mary, "It's seems I'm destined to lose all the men in my life to that car."

The rest of lunch went well and both John and Mary were thrilled when Dean finally ate. He didn't eat a lot, half a chicken sandwich and a few bites of salad, but it was something and John couldn't have been happier.

The relaxed mood had continued into the evening, which is why John was surprised when everything suddenly went to hell and he found himself stood in his living room, blood streaming down his nose from Dean's right hook, (and Jesus Christ, that kid could throw a punch.) with Sam unconscious on the floor and a panicked and terrified Dean ready to attack to anyone who tried to get close to them.

**TBC.**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:-** Thank you to everyone who has continued to show their support for this story. Your comments are really appreciated and I hope you all like the next chapter. :)

**Chapter Five.**

Things started to go downhill with a phone call.

The boys were sat watching TV and John was pleased that while they didn't look completely relaxed, they weren't sat ram rod straight and trembling like they had been when they'd first arrived. Mary was taking a bath so it was John who answered the phone and spoke to Becca. Sam and Dean's physicals had been arranged for tomorrow.

Dean's body language changed instantly when he found out. Dammit. John should have waited until Mary was out of the bath before telling them.

"We don't need any physicals."

"Dean, it's just a check up. They just want to make sure you're both okay."

"We're fine. You already had a doctor look at us and he said we were fine. We don't need to see another doctor."

"Dean, both you and Sam have injuries that need to checked, to make sure they're healing properly and since it's been a long time since either of you had medical care, they want to give you a full health check just to be on the safe side."

"No." The thought of going to see anymore doctors terrified Dean. It was already bad enough that John and that other doctor had seen his injuries, he didn't want anyone else looking and he definitely didn't want anyone to find out about the other stuff that had been done to him.

John sighed. "Dean..."

Dean jumped up of the couch and stepped closer to him, his lips curling up into a snarl. "I said no."

John saw the anger for what it really was, fear. "I promise that they're not going to do anything you don't want them too. They aren't going to hurt you or Sam, and if things get too much for either of you then you can stop, alright?"

"Dean, I don't wanna go." Sam's voice was small and shaky. He didn't want to go the hospital. If they examined him, they might be able to tell he wasn't normal and the thought of what could happen then made him feel like he was about throw up.

Dean smiled over at his brother who was huddled up in the corner of the couch. "Its okay, Sammy. You don't have to go anywhere."

John shook his head. "Dean..."

"No." Dean snapped. "You heard my brother. He doesn't want to go, so he's not going."

"He needs to be checked over, Dean. What if his shoulder isn't healing right or he could be sick..."

"He's fine. If he needed a doctor then I'd take him to one." Dean shouted in frustration. "He's my brother and I'm the one who takes care of him. If he was sick or hurt I'd know and he's not, he's fine. We both are and we don't need any god damm doctors."

John was about to answer when his attention was suddenly drawn to Sam. The kid was leant forward, his hands braced on his knees and his forehead scrunched up in what looked like pain. "Sam? You okay there?"

Dean's head snapped back round to face his brother. "Sammy?"

Sam felt his breath hitch and he gasped for air. He knew what was happening and he knew there was nothing he could do stop it, but he still tried to fight against it just like he always did. "De..." he panted.

Dean started to reach out for his brother until he recognised what was happening, and he immediately pulled his hand back. Touching Sam in anyway when he having an episode was a very bad idea. Not only did it seem to make Sam's pain ten times worse but touching is also when the room shaking, things flying off shelves and lights exploding stuff would start.

"Sam, it's okay." Dean called, hoping Sam could still hear him. "Sammy, you need to lie down. I'm right here and..." His eyes widened as Sam began pitching forwards and Dean saw that his head was on a direct collision course with table in front of him.

Dean moved quickly and shoved the table out of the way just in time, and Sam's body crumbled to the floor and began seizing.

John looked on in horror when Sam suddenly began slumping forwards, he saw Dean react with the same speed he had last night when Sam had been panicking in John's arms, but instead of grabbing his brother like John had expected, Dean shoved hard at the table. He watched Dean wince at the sound of Sam's body hitting the floor and then Sam's entire body was shaking uncontrollably.

John automatically rushed towards Sam's convulsing form. "Sam."

"No!" Dean yelled, moving quickly to block Sam from John. "Don't touch him!"

Sam started making a high keening noise and Dean flinched at the sound, he knelt down beside his brother but still didn't touch him. "Sammy, it's okay. I'm right here, Sam." Dean was desperate to offer some kind of comfort even though he knew Sam probably couldn't hear him anymore. "You're alright. I'm here. I'm here, Sammy."

John moved round to the other side of Sam, intending to lift his head and cushion it, to prevent it from repeatedly slamming against the floor but his hands were immediately slapped out of the way.

"Don't touch him." Dean screamed.

"Dean, he's having a damm seizure! Let me help."

"No, leave him alone." Dean's breath began to quicken, panic starting to overwhelm him. He had to protect Sam, he couldn't let John touch him.

When Sam started screaming, John once again went to reach for him and that's when Dean's fist connected with his nose, sending him stumbling backwards.

"Get away from him." Dean snarled.

Suddenly, Sam gasped, his back arching once more before his body finally stilled. Dean had him gathered in his arms within seconds. "Sammy?" He gently pushed the bangs back from his brother's face. "Sam, you with me?"

John stood shocked as he raised a hand to his bloody nose, watching as Dean desperately tried to get a response out of his brother.

"What's going on?" Mary hurried into the room, her hair was still dripping wet and she was leaving watery footprints in her wake. "John?" she gasped when she saw the blood pouring down his face. She rushed over to his side, which is when she saw Sam lying unconscious in Dean's arms. "Oh my god. I'll call 911"

"No!" Dean shouted. "He doesn't need a hospital. He's fine. He'll wake up soon. He will." Dean's voice was frantic.

John took a cautious step towards them. "Dean?"

Sam groaned, shifting slightly in Dean's arms. "Sammy?"

"De." Sam croaked, weakly.

"I'm here, Sammy. I'm here." Dean ran his fingers through Sam's hair, soothingly. "It's all over now, Sammy. You're okay. You're okay."

Sam blinked his eyes open and winced when the sudden light caused his head to pound in pain, one of Dean's hands instantly covered his eyes. "Shhh. Take it easy, Sam. Just give it a minute and you'll feel better."

"Dean?" John made his tone firm to make sure he got Dean's attention. "Dean, Sam needs a doctor. You need to let us help, okay?"

Dean looked up and grimaced when he saw the blood dripping from John's nose. Dean was sure he was going to pay for that later. "Please, he doesn't need a hospital. It was just a seizure. He just needs to rest and he'll be fine."

John sighed and turned to Mary. "Call Dr. Saunders and ask him if he can make another house call."

Mary nodded, leaving to make the call.

"Okay, Dean. No hospital for now but if Dr. Saunders says he needs one, he's gonna have to go, alright?"

Dean nodded reluctantly knowing he didn't really have much choice right now.

"Dean," breathed Sam. "I...I saw...I saw...There was blood...and...I..."

"Shhh, Sam, Shhh." Dean whispered quickly. "Don't talk, Sammy. It's okay. Shhh."

John furrowed his brow. "Dean, what's he talking about?"

"Nothing. The seizures just make him confused, that's all. He's not talking about anything." Dean lied and he hoped he sounded more convincing than he felt. He needed to get Sam out of here. "Can I take him upstairs? He needs to rest."

John nodded. "Will you let me help you take him up?"

"It's okay." Dean said, standing up and carefully slipping an arm under Sam's legs before lifting him up into his arms. "I got him."

It was a strange sight to see a fourteen year old carrying a ten year old, but it looked liked something Dean had done many times before.

"Dr. Saunders is on his way." Mary said as she made her way back into the living room.

John nodded. "Dean's taken Sam upstairs to rest."

Mary retrieved an ice pack from the kitchen and gently placed in against John's swelling nose. "You think it could be broken?"

"Nah." He winced at the pressure of the ice pack. "Kid sure can throw a punch though."

Mary guided John over to sit on the couch so she could clean him up. "What happened?"

John sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. One minute Sam was just sat on the couch, the next his was having some sort of seizure. I got to close to him for Dean's liking and then I was knocked on my ass."

"Do you know what caused Sam's seizure?"

John shook his head.

"Do you think he might be epileptic?" Mary asked as she wiped away the last of the blood from his face.

John frowned. "I'm not sure but I can't help thinking it's something more. The way Dean was acting was strange."

"What do you mean?"

"When Sam started to collapse to floor, he didn't even try to reach him, he just watched."

"Maybe he was taken by surprise."

"No, whatever happened has happened before. Dean actions were practiced. There was a reason he didn't try and stop Sam's fall, I just don't know what it is."

They were interrupted by the sound of the door knocking.

"That'll be Dr. Saunders." Mary placed the ice pack down on the table. "I'll fill him on what's happened while you let Dean and Sam know he's here."

* * *

"Head hurts, De." Sam whispered as Dean gently tucked him into bed.

"I know it does, kiddo." Dean stroked his brother cheek, hating seeing him pain. "You'll feel better soon. I promise."

Sam pressed his face into the hand stroking his face, sighing deeply.

"Sammy?" Dean asked quietly. "Sam, do you remember what you saw?"

"I just remember there being blood. Lots of blood." Sam frowned trying to remember more. "Sorry, Dean. Can't 'member anything else. Too tired."

"That's fine, buddy. You did real good." Dean lay down next to Sam, careful not to jostle him too much as he wrapped his arms around him. "You can go to sleep now, Sammy. I'm here and everything's gonna be fine."

Dean rubbed comforting circles into Sam's back and within minutes his brother was sound asleep. The visions always took a lot out of Sam and it wasn't unusual for him not to be able to recall much at first. He would most likely remember more once he woke up, but after hearing about all the blood, Dean wasn't so sure he wanted Sam to remember. It wasn't like they could do much about Sam's visions anyway. Their dad and uncle hadn't cared about helping the people in Sam's visions and though Dean always tired to do something to help there was usually very little he could do. All the visions really seemed to achieve was to give Sam more things to have nightmares about.

Dean closed his eyes in exhaustion. He just didn't know what to do anymore. Everything was just so messed up and he didn't have a clue how to fix it. He'd just begun to drift off to sleep when John knocked the door to tell them the doctor had arrived.

* * *

John let out an exhausted sigh as he slumped down onto the sofa. He grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV.

It had a few hours since Dr. Saunders had left after letting John and Mary know that as Sam's vitals seemed stable and because they were taking him to the hospital tomorrow anyway, he didn't see any reason to rush him in right now. He informed them Sam would probably seem drowsy and disorientated for a while but that he should recover fine after some rest.

Dean and Sam had remained in their room and after checking they both had everything they needed, Mary had gone to bed as well.

John's mind was still trying to sort through everything that had happened when he suddenly realised he wasn't alone anymore. Dean was stood watching him from the doorway.

"Hey Dean." John smiled, muting the TV. "What you doing up, buddy? You alright?"

Dean shuffled awkwardly on his feet. He hadn't been able to sleep. He felt bad about hitting John, and he was sure that John and Mary would have called the social workers by now to tell them that they didn't want him and Sam staying anymore. He knew he would be leaving soon but he didn't know if John wanted to punish him first. "Just wanted to say I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Sorry?"

Dean gestured at John's swollen nose. "For hitting you."

John gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, kiddo."

"So, I guess we'll be leaving tomorrow?"

John wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "Leaving?"

"I hit you." Dean stated simply. "I can't imagine you want me staying in your house anymore."

John felt his heart twist in sympathy. "Dean, I'm not gonna send you away. You and Sam are always going to be welcome in this house."

Dean didn't reply choosing to look down at his feet instead.

"Dean, you don't have to go anywhere, okay?" John smiled when Dean finally nodded. "But I would like to talk to you for a minute, if that's alright with you."

Dean looked unsure but made his way over to join John on the couch.

"How often has your brother had a seizure like that?"

Dean swallowed. He didn't like the think about the number of times he had to watch on helplessly as his brother thrashed around in pain. "A few times."

"Dean, why didn't you try and stop Sam from hitting the floor? And why didn't you let me help?"

"Because it hurts Sammy more if you touch him. I don't know why but it hurts him more when anyone touches him."

"I understand that, but Dean, Sam could really have hurt himself hitting the floor like that."

"I know and usually I would have grabbed him and lowered him to the floor even though it hurts him to be touched." Dean wasn't lying about that. If he wasn't able to get Sammy to lie down before one of his visions hit then Dean usually would make sure he lowered his brother safely to the floor. It would cause the room to tremble and lights to flicker but that didn't matter as both his dad and his uncle knew about Sam's visions. John however did not and so this time Dean couldn't risk touching Sam and John finding out. "I don't know why I didn't try and stop him this time. I just wanted to get the table out of the way so he didn't hit it. I'm sorry."

"Its okay, Dean." John was sure there was something more going on here but he didn't push it. "You don't have to be sorry. I know you would never do anything to hurt Sam on purpose."

"I'm really sorry I hit you. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just panicked." Dean lowered his eyes, ashamed.

"Dean, it's alright." John reached out and gave Dean's shoulder a reassuring touch and he felt the kid flinch in fear.

"Hey, it's okay." John soothed, gently removing his hand. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Dean was silent for a few more moments before he quietly mumbled, "Please, don't make us go to the doctors tomorrow."

John sighed. "Dean..."

"Please." Dean raised his head to look at John, and John felt sadness flood through him when he saw Dean's eyes were swimming with tears.

John reached for him again, this time making sure Dean could see his hand coming before it touched his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, Dean. I know you're afraid and don't want to go but it's important, even more so after Sam's seizure. The doctors need to check what's causing them, see if they can find a way to stop them, and they need to check that you're okay too, Dean."

Dean chocked back a sob. "I don't want them to check me out. I don't want them to find out."

John felt his concern rise at Dean's obvious distress. "Find out about what, Dean?"

"About me." Dean cried. "I don't want them to find out about me."

John watched as tears began sliding down Dean's face and he gently tugged on his shoulder, bringing the kid closer to him. "Shhh, Dean." John soothed, pleased when Dean allowed him to pull him into his arms. "What is it, buddy? What are you scared of them finding about it?"

Dean let himself sink into John's arms. He was exhausted and he just wanted it all to stop. He didn't want to be afraid anymore. He just wanted to be safe. He curled his fingers into John's shirt and began sobbing.

"Shhh, shhh, its okay, Dean. You're alright. Shhh." John started rocking Dean slowly, rubbing soothing circles into his back, trying to comfort the distraught teenager.

"I don't want them to find out." Dean sobbed, clinging to John desperately. "I don't want them find out about what my uncle made me do."

John held on tighter, his heart breaking for the broken child sobbing in his arms.

**TBC.**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:-** Thank you again for all your kind feedback :) Your comments really mean a lot and I hope you enjoy the next part. :)

**Chapter Six.**

John had continued to hold Dean as he cried, making shushing noises and rocking him gently, desperate to comfort anyway he could. Eventually Dean couldn't fight the exhaustion any longer and John felt his body rest more heavily against him, as he finally gave into sleep.

John let him sleep for a while before deciding it was probably best to wake him so he could get some proper rest in his own bed, also John didn't think Dean would be too happy if he woke up away from Sam.

"Dean?" John shook him gently. "Hey Dean, wake up, buddy."

Dean woke up pretty much the same way he had yesterday when he'd come round from passing out, fast and violent. His eyes flew wildly around the room and he scrambled out of John's hold.

John held his hands out in a placating gesture. "Whoa, Dean. Easy. You're safe. It's just me, okay? You're alright."

Dean panted heavily but John did see him relax a fraction. "Sammy?"

"He's fine." John assured. "He's still upstairs sleeping. You fell asleep here and I woke you up as I thought you'd be comfortable in your own bed."

Dean blinked owlishly a few times then nodded. "Okay."

"Do you want me to give you hand back upstairs?" Dean still looked sleepy and disorientated.

Dean shook his head, slowly getting to his feet. "I'll be fine."

John smiled. "Okay, well you go get some rest and I'll see you in the morning."

Dean nodded, mumbling a quiet goodnight before heading back upstairs to his brother.

John stayed up for a while longer, trying to process everything that had happened. The implications of things Dean had said when he was breaking down made him feel sick. He was certain now that Dean had suffered much more than just physical abuse at the hands of his uncle, and he felt anger and revulsion coarse through him. He had to fight the urge to just hunt down that son of bitch and make him suffer, but he knew as satisfying as that might feel, it wouldn't help Dean in the long run, and that's what John had to focus on, finding a way to help Dean through all this.

* * *

Dean climbed into bed, shushing Sam when his brother murmured and rolled over towards him. He carefully pulled him into his arms, tucking Sam's head under his chin. Dean shuddered as he remembered what had happened downstairs with John. He should never have broken down like that. He felt embarrassed and ashamed, and not that only that, while he had been downstairs crying himself to sleep, he'd left Sammy up here alone and unprotected. How could he have done that? His brother could have gotten hurt and it would have been all his fault.

"I'm sorry, Sammy," he whispered, holding him closer. "I promise I won't ever let that happen again. I won't leave you alone like that. I'll always be here to keep you safe."

Once again tears began welling up in his eyes and he swiped at them angrily. Everything was spinning out of control and he felt so lost.

* * *

"Hey there, sleepy head." Dean smiled, gently sweeping Sam's bangs out of his face. "How you feeling?"

Sam yawned, stretching out in the bed before pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Better." Sam rubbed the sleep out his eyes and returned Dean's smile with a small one of his own. "My head doesn't feel like it gonna explode anymore."

Dean grinned. "Glad to hear it."

Sam started to look anxious and his breathing sped up. "Do they know now? About me? About the visions?"

"Shh, it's okay, kiddo." Dean took a hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly. "They don't know, alright? They just think you had a seizure, that's all. They don't know anything about the visions."

Sam let out a deep breath in relief.

"Sam, do you remember anything else about what you saw?" Dean asked, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of Sam's hand in a soothing motion.

Sam wrinkled his forehead as he tried to recall the details. "No," he sighed. "All I can see is the blood." He rested his head on Dean's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dean."

"Hey, shhh. You don't have anything to be sorry for, none of this is your fault."

"Yes is it." Sam tried to blink away the tears he could feel forming in his eyes. "I should be able to remember more and because I can't someone is probably going to die."

Dean didn't want to tell Sam that they would probably die weather he remembered or not. Even when they had enough information to be able to trace the people in Sam's vision, it's not like they had been able to do much to save them. Not surprisingly, people weren't exactly falling over themselves to believe some teenager they had never met before, telling them that they were in danger because his ten year old brother had seen it in a vision.

"It's not your fault, Sam." Dean said, firmly. "You can't control what you see in the visions."

"Do you think they will ever stop?"

Dean nodded. "We'll find a way, Sammy." He hoped he sounded more convincing than he felt.

"What's gonna happen today?" Sam asked, his voice shaky. "Are we going to have to go to the doctors?"

"Do you wanna go?"

Sam gave a frantic shake of his head.

"Then you don't have too." Dean kissed the top of Sam's head. "Don't worry, Sam. I won't let them make you do anything you don't want too."

* * *

Breakfast at the Winchester's did not go well.

Despite what had happened last night, Dean was not letting John or Mary anywhere near him or Sam. He sat glaring daggers at them during breakfast and refused to eat anything, and John and Mary felt their concern grow when they realised that Sam was now also refusing to eat.

John sighed. "Look, boys, I know you're worried about the doctors but..."

"We're not going." Dean snarled.

"Dean..." began Mary.

Dean stood up from the table, bringing a trembling Sam up with him. "I said we're not going."

"Dean. Calm down, buddy." John said, gently.

Dean shot a John a furious look. "I'm not your buddy," he snapped. "And you can't make us go see any doctors."

"Dean, please, just listen and..."

"No! Just leave us the hell alone." Dean took a hold of Sam's hand and they both disappeared back upstairs, the sound of their bedroom door slamming shut echoing around the house.

"Oh dear, that didn't go well at all." Mary said, sadly. "They're really scared John, and after what you told me about what Dean said last night, I'm worried that if we push him on this it might do his mental state some serious damage."

John nodded in agreement. "Becca and Jake will be here soon. We can talk to them about delaying the doctors."

Mary looked worriedly at the table. "Neither of them ate."

John wrapped his arms gently around his wife. "Don't worry, Mare." He kissed the top of her head softly. "The boys are gonna be okay. We'll make sure of it."

* * *

By the time Becca and Jake arrived, the boys were still refusing to come out of their room and John knew that delaying the boy's physicals was looking more and more like the right option.

Mary showed Becca and Jake though into the living room, and John nodded a hello to them both.

"Hello, Mr Winchester." Becca smiled. "How are you feeling?" She gestured at his bruised nose.

John indicated for them both to take a seat. "I'm fine. It's already pretty much healed."

Becca nodded. "Well, we are currently looking into an alternative emergency placement for the boys and we're hoping to have found something by the end of the day. It may be that we can only find a place for one of them and if that happens we would appreciate it if you would consider keeping Sam here for a few more days."

John frowned. "What? What are you talking about? We don't want either of the boys going anywhere."

"Dean attacked you." Jake remarked. "We assumed you would want to be handing his case back to us."

"Well, you assumed wrong." John stated, firmly. "And Dean didn't attack me. He was panicking and trying to protect his brother. It wasn't his fault." His voice took on a slightly hard edge, "And you'd actually consider separating the boys after all they've been though? You've seen how close they are, how much they need each other."

"We would of course try to place them together but sibling placements are hard to find, especially at such short notice."

"Well, then it's a good job the boys are fine to stay here."

Jake nodded. "That's fine but the option's there if you want it. I know this case is turning out more complicated than expected, and it would be totally understandable that if after what happened last night you wanted to back out. As I said we should have alternative arrangements ready by the end of the day, if necessary."

John was beginning to get annoyed, his patience wearing thin. "It won't be necessary."

"Okay then." Becca smiled again and reached down to pull some folders out her bag. "I managed to locate most of Dean and Sam's files, so I thought we could go over them before we have to leave for the boys medical appointments."

"About that," said Mary. "John and I feel that it might be best if the boys physicals are put off for a few days."

"The boys need to be checked over, and if we want to be a get good case against the uncle for physical abuse then we also need to take photographic evidence of their injuries." Becca stated.

John nodded. "We understand that, but right now I can't even get the boys out of their room because they're so scared."

Becca didn't seem phased. "Well, why I don't I go up and see if I can convince them?"

John shook his head. "With all due respect, I don't think that's a good idea. Dean's very vulnerable right now and I don't think he'd react well to you going up there."

"The boys need to see a doctor, Mr Winchester." Jake insisted, firmly.

"I know that." John was beginning to get irritated again. "But you force them to see one today then you are going end up traumatizing them. All I'm saying is that we should wait a few days until the boys are more settled."

"Dean and Sam's bruises will have started to fade by then." Becca remarked, briskly. "We need to get photographic evidence now if we want to have a good chance of prosecuting the uncle."

"How about we have Dr. Saunders take the photos?" Mary suggested. "The boys seem to be comfortable around him. He can take the photos today and then we can leave the physicals for a few more days."

Becca and Jake exchanged looks then Becca nodded their agreement.

"Okay, I'll contact Dr. Saunders after we've been through the files." Mary smiled.

Becca handed them the file on the boys removal from the father first, which showed that social services had taken the boys into care after Dean had been admitted to the hospital in a critical condition, the hospital had contacted them with concerns that they suspected his injuries were non-accidental. John felt sick as he read list of injuries Dean had sustained. As Dean never said it was his father who hurt him no charges were filed, but there was enough evidence for social services to remove the boys.

Becca slid another folder over to them. "This is initial report we received from Dean's school about concerns for his welfare. The report is what led to investigation into the aunt and uncle."

"What about Sam's school?" Mary asked. "Did they reports any concerns?"

Becca suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Well, um, I'm afraid it seems Sam has never been to school."

"What?" John exclaimed, shocked. "He's ten years old. How could he not have been to school?"

"It would appear that neither his father nor uncle bothered to register or send him to school."

"And they were able to get away with that?" John's voice rose slightly. "I mean, Jesus Christ, the boys were suppose to of been under social care when they were living with their uncle. How could nobody know that Sam wasn't going to school?"

Becca just shook her head. "I don't know. It should have been checked but somehow it seems to have gotten overlooked."

John laughed, humourlessly. "There seems to be a lot about this case that social services have overlooked."

Becca bristled. "I agree that there have clearly been mistakes, but an investigation is already under way to find out exactly what went wrong."

John felt like snapping back that none of that was going do Dean or Sam much good. It wasn't going to take away the years of suffering they had to endure because someone failed to do their job properly, but he bit his tongue and said nothing, knowing that starting an argument at this point wouldn't achieve anything.

They finished going over the files and after John and Mary agreed to call them once Dr. Saunders had been round, Becca and Jake left.

"You okay, baby?" Mary asked, running a hand gently down John's back.

"Yeah, I'm alright." John sighed, turning to wrap Mary in his arms. "Just frustrated that the boys have been let down so much."

Mary nodded. "I know but like you said earlier, they're gonna be okay. They have us to make sure of it."

* * *

The boys seemed to relax somewhat when they were told that wouldn't have to go to the hospital today and that instead Dr. Saunders was just going to come and talk to them, before taking some pictures of their injuries. Dean had not seemed happy at the mention of pictures being taken but had eventually agreed if it meant that they wouldn't have a full medical exam. So Dr. Saunders had been called and it had been arranged for him come round later that afternoon.

Lunch had gone a bit better than breakfast. Dean still didn't eat, but Sam was back to practically inhaling his food as usual and afterwards the boys went into the living room to watch TV instead of hiding back upstairs in their room.

Mary had just finished unloading the dishwasher when she heard a shuffling noise from behind her. She turned and saw Sam stood in the doorway, looking a little nervous. "Hi, Sam." She smiled. "You okay, sweetie?"

"Dean fell asleep watching TV and I...I..." Sam voice trailed off and he bit at his fingernails.

"It's okay, Sam." Mary said, gently. "What is it? Did you need something?"

"Can I...Can I have something to drink, pl...please?"

The question was asked so quietly and quickly that Mary barely heard it, and it made her heart ache that he was so scared to ask for something as simple as a drink. "Of course you can, honey." She gestured for him to sit down at the table and he slowly did so. "What would you like? We've got apple and orange juice or you could have some milk?"

"Apple, please." Sam whispered.

Mary smiled and placed the glass down in front him before taking a seat at the table herself.

Sam took a sip of the juice before giving Mary a small smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetie" Mary replied, keeping her voice soft and gentle. "Sam, do you mind if I talk to you about something?"

The nervous look returned to Sam's face. "What about?"

"School." Mary answered.

Sam lowered his head, his bangs falling in front of his eyes. "I'm too stupid for school."

Mary felt her heart twist at the broken look on Sam's face. "I'm certain that's not true."

"Yes, it is." Sam sniffled as he tried to fight back tears. "My uncle was always calling me stupid and my aunt said I was too thick to go to school."

"Do you think you would like to go to school, Sam?"

"I already told you, I'm too stupid for school." Sam mumbled.

"No, you told me that your aunt told you that you were to stupid for school." She reached out and touched his hand, pleased that even though he gave a small flinch, he didn't pull away. "And that just isn't true, Sam."

"Dean says I'm smart but I think he's just saying that to be nice." Sam said, quietly.

"I don't think Dean would say that unless he meant it." Mary squeezed his hand, gently. "And I may not of known you very long but I can tell that you are very smart little boy."

Sam was quiet for a few moments before he looked up and gave Mary a small smile. "You're nothing like my aunt," he whispered.

"No, I'm not." Mary smiled back, sadly. "And I promise you, I never will be."

* * *

"Davis."

"I have a call for you on line three, sir."

"Do you know who it is?"

"No, they just said it was important but they wouldn't give me a name."

Davis sighed. "Okay, patch them through. Thanks Angela."

"How can I help you?" Davis asked when the call beeped through.

"Hello Davis."

"Mick." He hissed. "What the hell do you think you're doing calling me here?"

"Well, you weren't answering your cell." Davis could just picture the smirk on Mick's face. "You're not avoiding me are you, Davy boy?"

"I told you the last time we spoke that I'm out." Davis snapped. "I'm done covering for you Mick. I'm not risking my job anymore."

"Relax. I just need some information, that's all."

"No."

Mick laughed. "Davis, you're in too deep to back out now. If you don't help me then I'll make sure everyone knows just how heavily you were involved in all this, and believe me when I say losing your job will be the least of worries then."

"What do you want?" he growled.

"I need to know where it is that you lovely people over there have stashed my nephews."

**TBC.**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N 1:-** Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave feedback. :) It has been very helpful and is much appreciated. :) I hope you all continue to enjoy the story. :)

**A/N 2:-** To the guest reviewer who left a comment to say that a sentence in last chapter didn't make sense, if you get a chance could you please let me know which sentence you were referring to, so I can fix it. Thanks. :)

**Chapter Seven.**

Mary and Sam had spoken for a while longer about the issue of Sam not attending school, but no matter what she said, Sam wouldn't believe her when she told him that he was smart and if he wanted to, he could go to school. He began to get more upset and tears started to fall down his cheeks.

"Sam?"

Both of them turned around at the sound of Dean's voice.

"Dean." Mary smiled. "Did you have a good nap?"

Dean's eyes narrowed when he saw the tear tracks on his brother's face, and he shot Mary an accusing stare. "Why is he crying? What did you do?" He was at Sam's side in an instant. "Sammy, what happened? You okay?"

"It's okay, Dean." Mary assured. "We were just talking about Sam not going to school and he got a little upset."

"Sam's not stupid." Dean immediately defended. He hated it when the topic of Sam and school came up. Despite what the rest of his crappy family thought, Dean knew how smart Sam was. The only reason Dean didn't fight his dad and uncle on not sending Sam to school was because he didn't think it was safe for him to go. Sam's visions were unpredictable and Dean worried about what could happen if one hit while Sam was at school.

"I never thought he was." Mary replied. "I just wanted to talk to Sam and see if he liked the idea of school, that's all."

"Well, you don't need to talk to him about anything." Dean stated, firmly. "All you've done is upset him."

"Dean, it's okay." Sam said quietly, reaching up to take a hold of Dean's sleeve.

"It's never okay if you're crying, Sam." Dean gave Mary a hard look. "Look, I'm his brother and I can look after him just fine. If he's upset or needs to talk about school then I'll take care of it."

"Dean..."

"No, just stay away from him, alright?" Dean tugged Sam up from his chair. "Come on, Sammy."

Mary sighed as she watched them go, hoping she could find a way to help Dean believe that she didn't mean any harm to either of them.

* * *

The boys were up in their room when Dr. Saunders arrived to take the pictures of their injuries. After a quick chat with John and Mary, John had led him upstairs. It was decided to do Dean's photos first and after Dean had made it quite clear that he didn't want his brother in the room while they were taking the pictures, Mary had taken Sam downstairs.

Dean tried to hide his nervousness as he watched Dr. Saunders set up his camera. He really didn't want Sam here when the photos were being taken, he remembered the look of horror on his brother's face when he had last seen his injuries, and he didn't want to see Sam look like that again.

"I'll be ready to get started in a minute, Dean." Dr. Saunders gave what Dean was sure was meant to be a reassuring smile, but with a camera in his hands, to Dean, the smile looked more like a smirk.

Dean's eyes became solely focused on the camera, his mind trying to bring forth the memories of the previous times Dean had been alone with men and cameras. He pinched the back of his hand hard in a attempt to drive the image away. This was different. It was a different camera, a different room. It wasn't going to be the same.

"Okay Dean." Dr Saunders said, gently. "Can you take your shirt off for me?"

_"I told you to strip, Dean."_

_"Get undressed!"_

_"Take your clothes off."_

Dean blinked rapidly, trying to get rid off the voices in his head. _'I'm okay, I'm okay,' _he repeated over and over to himself.

"Dean? You alright?" John asked when Dean didn't respond to the doctor's question. The kid had gone pale and his eyes were starting to take on a glazed look.

Dean turned his attention to John. He knew he'd been asked something but he wasn't sure what it was. "What?"

John frowned at the disorientated sound of Dean's voice. "I asked if you were alright."

It took Dean a few more moments to respond but he slowly nodded. "I'm fine."He raised his hands to unbutton his shirt, and John's concern grew when he saw that Dean's fingers were trembling.

"Dean?"

"Let's just get this over with." Dean pulled off this top and let it fall down onto the bed.

"Okay." Dr. Saunders nodded and took a step closer, raising the camera to aim at Dean's chest. "I'll be as quick as I can."

At the first click and flash of the camera, Dean felt himself jump. The voices in his head began to get louder and louder.

_"Lie down on the bed, Dean."_

_"Don't forget to smile for the camera." _

_"You're so pretty, Dean."_

_"I'm gonna make you mine, boy."_

The room suddenly felt too hot and Dean couldn't seem to get enough air.

John watched in alarm as Dean's shaking increased and his breathing started to become erratic. "Dean?" John placed a hand on top of the camera, stopping Dr. Saunders actions. "Dean, it's okay."

Dean couldn't hold back the memories any longer and his past bled into the present. He could feel hands on him, holding him down, bodies pressing against him. He gasped for the air that his body was so desperately demanding but found none. John reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder and Dean flinched violently, scrambling backwards until his back hit the wall. He whimpered and slid down to the floor, burying his head in his knees as he folded in on himself, trying to make himself as small as possible.

"Dean?"

John began moving slowly towards him but in Dean's mind, it was no longer John. It was his dad, it was Mick, it was all the other men that his father and Mick had just given Dean too. Dean made a keening sound when a hand gently touched his back, and his head shot back up as he tried to press himself more firmly into the wall.

"Pl...please...d...don't," he stammered, tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry, Mick...m'sorry..."

"Shhh, Dean. It's just me. It's John. Mick isn't here. You're safe, Dean." John crouched down in front of the trembling teen but didn't repeat his attempt to touch. "Dean? Dean can you hear me, buddy?"

Dean panted heavily. He could see the outline of the body in front of him. He knew what was going happen and he knew how much it was going to hurt. Oh god. He just wanted it all it stop. He didn't want them to hurt him anymore. He wanted it to stop.

"Dean!" John cried out in shock when Dean suddenly slammed his head against the wall, hard.

"No, no, no, no, no." Dean sobbed as he began repeatedly banging his head against the wall.

"Dean, stop!" John quickly placed his hand behind Dean's head, stopping him from slamming his head back. Dean whimpered at the contact and shook his head, trying to break John's hold."Dean, stop. You're gonna hurt yourself. Shhh, please Dean, you're okay. You're safe. You're safe."

Dean continued to make small desperate noises as he gasped in air much too fast. John knew that Dean's mind was no longer in the room, that his subconscious had taken him to a much darker place, and John felt helpless as Dean shook and shuddered in fear.

"Dean, you have to breathe, kiddo." John kept his tone soothing but firm, in the hope that some of what he was saying would get through. "Please Dean, just breathe. You're alright. No one is going to hurt you. C'mon Dean, breathe."

"John, do you want me give him a sedative?" Dr. Saunders asked, watching the scene in front of him in alarm.

The noise from Dean's panic attack soon brought Mary and Sam rushing into the room and then things really started to spin out of control. Sam had immediately tried to rush to his brother side but Mary, unsure of what was going on had reached out to hold him back, which in hindsight was probably not the best idea.

"No! Let go off me. Dean." Sam cried, struggling against her hold. "Dean. Let go. No. Dean!"

The sound of his brother's distressed cries seemed to snap Dean violently back to the present. He let out something that sounded like a growl, shoving hard at John before lunging towards Mary. Mary had already released Sam but that didn't stop Dean rushing at her, and John almost didn't grab him in time to prevent him from barrelling into Mary. The pair of them fell to the floor and Dean began to thrash around, wildly hitting out at John as he screamed Sam's name.

"Dean, stop it!" John shouted, dodging yet another fist aimed at his face. "Dean, you need to calm down. Dean!"

When Dean continued fight, Dr. Saunders began searching through his medical bag. "I'm going to prepare a sedative."

Sam felt panic overwhelm him as he watched John and his brother struggle on the floor. "Stop," he shouted in desperation but his voice was drowned out by all the noise in the room. His breathing began to speed up and he scrambled to the corner of the room, curling in on himself as he covered his ears with his hands, and began yelling Dean's name over and over.

"Dean, please stop fighting." John tried to keep his voice as calm as possible but still be heard over Dean's screams. "Dean, it's okay. Just calm down. You and Sam are both safe. It's alright." John shook his head to when Dr. Saunders approached with the sedative, stopping the man from getting any closer. He could hear Sam's cries from behind him and he wanted to try something before resorting to knocking Dean out with drugs.

John pulled Dean up so they were kneeling and he quickly framed Dean's face with his hands, forcing Dean's eyes to meet his. "Dean," he said firmly. "Dean, listen to me. You have to stop. Sam needs you. Look. Look." John moved them so Sam was in Dean's line of sight. "Sam needs you, Dean. You've got to calm down so you can help him, alright? Just calm down. For Sam."

Dean's eyes immediately locked on his brother, and John felt Dean's body begin to relax. His breathing was noisy and loud but the fight was rapidly draining out of him. "That's it, buddy." John soothed. "Just relax, Dean."

Just moments later Dean was out of John's hold and at his brother side, gently prying Sam's hands away from his ears and pulling his distraught brother into his arms.

"Shhh, Sammy. Shhh." Dean whispered, rocking him slowly back and forth. "I'm here, now. Its okay, it's okay. I'm here. I'm here. Shhh."

Sam latched on tightly, burying his face in Dean's neck as he shook and sobbed.

"It's okay now, Sammy." Dean rubbed comforting circles across Sam's back. "I'm here. I'm gonna take care of you."

John took a cautious step towards them. "Dean?"

"Just get out." Dean snapped. "Leave us alone."

"Dean..."

"We don't need you here." Dean shushed Sam gently when his brother flinched at the tone of his voice, before looking back at John. "And we don't want you here, so just go."

"Okay, Dean. Okay." John nodded and ushered Mary and the doctor out of the room, leaving the boys alone.

Dean continued to rock Sam gently in his arms, waiting until his brother had calmed a little before getting back to his feet and carefully pulling Sam up with him. "Come on, Sam." Dean manoeuvred them onto the bed, holding Sam close to him as he pulled the covers up over them. "Everything's okay now, Sammy. I'll keep them all away from us. I promise."

Dean threaded his fingers soothingly through Sam's hair until both of them eventually fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Tommy looked down at the folder that had just been slapped down on the table in front of him. "What's this?"

"That, my friend, is the file on who your sons are currently staying with." Mick said with a smug look on his face.

"I don't give a fuck about who they're staying with, Mick." Tom snapped. "All I care about is how you are gonna get 'em back."

Mick smirked, pushing the folder closer to Tom. "Oh, trust me, you're gonna wanna look."

Tom growled in irritation before flipping open the file. He stared at the picture in shock then a slow smile spread across his face. "You've got to be kidding me?"

"Corporal John Winchester." Mick grinned. "Company Echo 2/1. Say, Tommy, isn't that the same company you were with?"

Tom laughed. "Well, this is definitely gonna make things more interesting."

_'John Winchester.'_ Tom had been waiting a long time for his chance to see him again.

**TBC.**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N 1:-** Once again thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. :) I'm glad people seem to be enjoying it so far and I hope you continue to do so. :)

**A/N 2:- **Thank you to the guest reviewer for letting me know which sentence didn't make sense. I have now corrected it. :)

**A/N 3:-** you are awesome. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, but your comment kinda left me a little confused. You said you liked the chapter and story but 'it' could ruin the story if I'm not careful, but you didn't explain what 'it' was. Is it the pacing of the story? Character development? If you could let me know what you think could be a problem, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

**A/N 4:-** Thank to you to Nyx Ro for suggesting what book Mary should read to Sam. :)

**Chapter Eight.**

Two weeks later and the Winchester household was beginning to settle into a routine. It was by no means a completely stable and trouble free routine, but both boys were starting to seem more relaxed and less on edge all the time.

After Dean's panic attack over the camera, it was decided to wait another few days before attempting to photograph his injuries again. John had assured Dean that if he wanted to, he could stop at anytime, all he had to do was say the word, but despite being tense and withdrawn Dean had managed to remain calm.

The physicals were the next hurdle to overcome and unfortunately they didn't go as smoothly. While Sam had sat through the standard tests, pulse, blood pressure etc, he had panicked when the doctors had suggested an MRI scan to see if they could determine what was causing his seizures. Sam took one look at the MRI machine and refused point blank to have anything to do with it. The doctors had tried to convince him otherwise and John could practically see the protective hackles rising on Dean, so he had interjected, saying he thought it was probably best that they leave it for another day.

Dean had agreed to have a full medical exam but he refused to have any in room with him other than the doctor and nurse who had to be there. The look of pain and devastation on Dean's face when he came out of the exam is one that John's sure will remained etched on his mind forever. Dean wasn't just pale, his skin had turned a sickly, grey colour and he was shaking badly. One of the nurses had taken Dean and Sam to a waiting room while the doctor spoke to John, Mary and the social workers about Dean's exam. It was not a pleasant conversation to listen too. Dean's injuries were extensive and there were signs of prolonged sexual assault. The doctor assured the social workers that he would send them a full report as soon as possible, and he handed John and Mary prescriptions for both pain relief and antibiotics, to fight off any infections Dean may have picked up.

The drive back home from the hospital was filled with tension. Dean kept Sam wrapped protectively in his arms, his hand rhythmically stroking Sam's hair, although John thought that action might be soothing Dean more than it was Sam. The boys then spent the next two days hiding out in their bedroom, only leaving at mealtimes or to use the bathroom.

Thankfully, shortly afterwards things began to improve. The boys started to spend more time downstairs and even though neither of them ever went out their way to start a conversation, they seemed to be talking to John and Mary more. Dean had joined John on a few more occasions to help with repairs to the Impala, and each time John could practically see the tension drain out of him. Sam had also come out to the help but after the initial excitement of seeing the Impala wore off, he had gotten bored and wandered off back inside. An interest in cars was obviously just his big brother thing, but Sam did show an interest in food, watching Mary with fascination as she prepared meals.

Dean's eating was improving too. He still didn't eat as much as John and Mary would have liked, but he no longer just ignored the food when it was placed down in front of him. Although, if something stressed him out or upset him then he would revert back to not eating. John had tried to talk to him about his issues with food but Dean hadn't reacted well, so John had backed off for now.

It was just coming up to two weeks since the hospital visit when John realised that apart from that trip to the clinic, the boys hadn't really left the house. Something which John decided was time to rectify.

"So, what do you think boys? Sound like a plan?"

After breakfast, John had informed Sam and Dean that as the Impala was now ready, he thought it would be a good time to take it on a family test drive and that afterwards they could go shopping, maybe hit the park before going out to dinner.

"That's okay. We don't need to go anywhere. We're fine staying here." Dean answered and John couldn't help but notice the way he had tensed up.

"Come on, Dean." John gave him an encouraging smile. "You spent all that time helping me fix up the Impala, don't you want to feel how she drives?"

"No, it's fine. Sam and I want to stay here."

John sighed. "Look, it's not healthy to stay cooped up in the house all the time."

"Well then you and Mary go out. No one's stopping you. Sam and I don't need to be babysat 24/7" Dean snapped.

"That's not the point, Dean." John said, trying to keep any irritation out of his voice. "We want you and Sam to come with us."

"Why?" Dean asked, suspiciously.

"Because it will do you both good to get some fresh air." John replied. "You can toss the football around, have some fun."

Dean just glared at him. "We don't have a football."

"Well then we'll buy you one at the store."

"We don't like football." Dean scowled.

"Look Dean, you and Sam both need some time out the house so you are going to come out with me and Mary, alright?"

"Doesn't look like we have much choice, does it?" Dean shot back, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I promise, it's gonna be fine."

"Whatever." Dean huffed.

* * *

Shopping though slightly uncomfortable passed without serious incident. Sam hands remained clutched in his brother's jacket at all times and both boys were skittish, but they had followed John and Mary around without complaint, and as well as a new football they picked up some more clothes, comics and a few other things that the boys needed. Dean and Sam never asked for anything but after some encouragement they would point to the comics or books they liked the look of.

The park went better than John could have expected and despite Dean's earlier protests of not liking football both he and Sam were soon tossing the ball back and forth, and running around after one another. For a moment they looked like just like any other boys their age, happy and carefree, and it saddened John to think that these kind of moments had been pretty much non-existent in their lives. That instead of playing football at the park and hanging out with friends, they had been trapped in world of pain and terror.

After the park, they had driven to local family restaurant for dinner. From the second they stepped into the restaurant, Dean and Sam's moods drastically changed. The boys withdrew into themselves. Sam didn't just sit next to Dean, he sat on Dean's lap and Dean was constantly glancing around the room, hyper aware of every sound and movement.

"Sam, honey, why don't you sit on your own chair?" Mary smiled, patting said chair. "There's nothing to be scared of, I promise."

"Leave him alone." Dean snapped. "If he wants to sit with me then he can."

Dean ran his hands up and down Sam's arms, trying to soothe the trembling he could feel starting. "Its okay, Sammy. You're fine."

"I don't like it here, De." Sam murmured. "Too many people."

Dean rested his chin on top of his brother's head. "Shhh, Sammy, it's alright." Dean tried to keep his voice steady but the truth was he knew exactly how Sam was feeling. He didn't like it here either. There were too many people and they were too close. He didn't know them and he didn't know what they might do. It was terrifying.

"John, maybe this isn't such a good idea?" Mary whispered to her husband as she watched the boys in concern.

John had to admit he was having second thoughts himself. He hated seeing the boys looking so tense and afraid, but he knew this was something they had to get used to. They had to learn that not everyone in the world was out to hurt them. John decided that if either of them got anymore worked up then they would leave but for now they were staying. "They'll be okay, Mare. I'm sure they'll relax in a minute."

The concerned look didn't leave Mary's face but she nodded.

As it turned out, they did end up having to cut dinner short. Despite John's hopes, neither boy relaxed and Sam's shaking only increased the longer they stayed, when John saw that Dean was starting to break out in a sweat, he decided that this was too much too soon and he had quickly paid the bill before ushering everyone back out to the car.

* * *

Dean was thankful that when they got home, he and Sam were allowed back up to their room. The whole day had been overwhelming and his head had been aching since they walked into the restaurant, and now his throat was beginning to hurt as well. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep.

It seemed Sam had the same idea, as his brother had quickly gotten into his pyjama's, clambered into bed and was now tugging Dean down to lay with him.

Dean sighed as his head hit the pillow, the coolness of it soothing the pounding in his head a little.

Sam frowned when he saw the lines of pain across Dean's forehead. "Dean, you okay?"

Dean attempted a smile but the pain in his throat made it look more like a grimace. "M'fine, Sammy, just a little tired."

Sam reached out to feel his forehead, pulling his hand back in concern at the heat he felt radiating from his brother. "You feel really hot? Are you sick?"

Dean shook his head, immediately regretting it when the pounding started up again. "Don't worry, kiddo. It's just a headache. I'll be fine after some sleep."

Sam didn't look convinced. "Maybe we should tell Mary? She might be able to give you some medicine."

"No." Dean said quickly. The last thing he wanted was for John and Mary to know he was sick. If they knew he wasn't well then they might think he was too weak to protect Sam and try to hurt him. Even though neither of them had laid a hand on either of them, Dean wasn't willing to risk it, not when Sam's safety was at stake.

"But..."

"Sam, honestly it's just a headache. I just wanna get some sleep, okay?"

Sam chewed on his lip worriedly for a moment before nodding. "You sure? Do you promise to wake me up if you start to feel worse?"

"I promise, Sammy." Dean smiled, pulling his little brother into his arms and running his hands gently through Sam's hair until they both fall to sleep.

* * *

Scratch what he said earlier, he wasn't fine, he was dying. It was like there was a jack hammer in his head and his throat hurt so much that it felt like he had been swallowing razor blades.

"Ugh." Dean turned over in the bed, and the nausea hit him so hard and fast that it made the room spin. He needed to get to the bathroom and quick.

He stumbled out of the bed, closing his eyes against the dizziness that assaulted him. He could do this. He could make to the bathroom and back, and if he moved really quietly and carefully, he could hopefully do it without waking Sammy up.

That plan went out the window the second he tried to take a few steps and ended up in a heap on the floor.

"Dean?"

Sam's sleeply voice was quickly followed by a sound of alarm and then his brother was by his side. "Dean?" Sam's hands hovered anxiously, not sure weather he should touch. "Dean, what's wrong?"

Dean groaned, another bout of nausea causing his stomach to roll unpleasantly. "Bathroom. Sick," he managed to croak.

Sam nodded, instantly pulling one of Dean's arms over his shoulders and helping him stumble to the bathroom. Dean curled around the toilet, moaning pathetically as he heaved over and over. His stomach clenched painfully and violent shivers racked his body.

"Jesus Christ, Dean. You're burning up." Sam cried, his hand resting on the nape of his brother's neck. "I'm gonna go get Mary and John."

"No." Dean protested weakly, his teeth chattering so badly that it made his Jaw ache. God, how could he be shivering so much when it felt like his whole body was on fire?

"Dean, please." Sam begged, rubbing Dean's back in an attempt to comfort him. "I gotta do something."

"M'okay, m'okay." Dean whimpered and began retching again.

Sam watched helplessly as Dean shivered and moaned. The vomiting became so violent that Dean began to struggle to breathe. "Dean, please. I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do. Please."

Dean could hear the distress and fear in Sam's voice and he wanted to tell him he's fine, that's it's all going to be okay but he just couldn't find the breath, "I'm sorry," is all he could manage to croak out.

Sam couldn't just stand by and watch anymore. He had to do something. "I'm gonna get you help, Dean."

"Sam." Dean called out but his brother was already gone. He tried to crawl after him but his body just slid to the floor, to weak to move. He curled into a ball, whimpering as tears fell down his face. He was gonna die here all alone and then there would be no one to protect Sam. He'd failed. He didn't do his job and now Sam was going to suffer because of him.

"I'm sorry, Sammy." Dean whispered, his voice broken as he gave into the darkness.

* * *

John shot bolt upright in the bed at the sound of his bedroom door slamming open, his body instinctively moving to place himself in front of Mary. He's not sure what he expected to find when his eyes finally blinked awake but it wasn't Sam stood at the foot of the bed, sobbing desperately.

"Sam?" John quickly clambered out of bed, moving over to him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"De...Dean's...sick..." Sam finally chocked out, his breath hitching from the force of his sobs. "Ple..Please...help..."

Mary who by now was also awake, quickly made her way into the bathroom, followed closely by John and Sam. The scent of sickness and sweat hit her immediately and she rushed to kneel down beside Dean who was curled up on the floor.

"Oh, Dean." She could feel the heat coming off him in waves and he let out a pitiful moan when her hand touched his forehead. "Shhh, it's okay."

Dean's eyes blinked open but they were glassy and unfocused and after mumbling a weak apology they slipped closed again.

Mary looked up at John, her concern obvious. "He's running a fever. We need to get him back to bed."

John nodded and carefully he gathered Dean into his arms, lifting him up. Dean groaned weakly at the movement, his eyes once more flickering open and he squinted in confusion. "John?"

"Yeah, buddy, it's just me." John smiled, trying to keep any worry out of his voice. "Let's get you back to bed, okay?"

"Sammy?"

"I'm here, Dean. I'm right here." Sam reached up, grabbing a hold of Dean's hand and holding it tightly as John carried him back to the bedroom.

No sooner had John laid Dean carefully back in bed, Mary was there, gently placing a thermometer in his ear. Dean grumbled unhappily, trying to turn his head away from the intrusion. "Shhh, Dean. It's alright." Mary soothed. The thermometer beeped and Mary winced at the read out. "John, get a bowl of cool water and some flannels then call Dr. Saunders and let him know we're going to need a house call."

"What's wrong with him?" Sam asked, his voice shaky with fear and he wrung his hands together anxiously. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"He's going to be fine, Sam." Mary smiled gently. "He's just running a bit of a temperature, that's all."

John placed the items Mary had asked for down on the bedside table before leaving again to call Dr. Saunders.

Dean whimpered when Mary ran the first cloth softly over his face. "Shhh, you're alright, Dean. It's okay."

"Hurts," he whispered.

"I know, baby, but you'll feel better soon, I promise. Just try and relax, sweetie."

"Dr. Saunders says we should put him a cool bath to try and being his temperature down. He's concerned that if gets much higher, Dean could have a seizure." John said as he returned to the room, phone still clutched in his hand.

Mary nodded, her hands pressing yet another cool cloth to Dean's forehead. "Okay, if you go get one ready, I'll start getting him undressed."

Sam's eyes widened at the mention of a bath and he frantically shook his head. "No, No. Dean didn't do anything wrong. It's not his fault he's sick. It's not."

"Sam?" John raised his eyebrows in concern at Sam's increased distress. "It's okay, buddy."

Sam didn't calm and he grabbed a hold of John's arm in desperation. "Please don't punish him. Please don't..."

"Hey, hey, Shhh, it's alright, Sam." John reassured gently. "No one's going to punish Dean. His fever's too high and we need to try and bring it down. I promise, no one is going to hurt him."

"Dean wouldn't want you giving him a bath. He wouldn't." Sam chocked back a sob, tears falling freely down his face. Sam remembered when how his father would hold Dean in the bath, laughing as Dean thrashed about in the freezing cold water.

"I know but it's dangerous for his temperature to stay this high so we have to help him, alright?"

Sam sniffled but finally nodded.

"Dean's gonna be okay, kiddo." John gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before leaving to run the bath.

Dean's eyes flew open in alarm when he felt his jeans being tugged over his hips. "No," he moaned, lifting one of his hands weakly to try and push Mary away. "Please...don't."

His eyes were glazed over from the fever and he looked up at Mary with undisguised terror. "Please...Mick...I'm sorry...don't..."

"Shhh, Dean." Mary soothed. "It's okay. Mick's not here, baby. It's just me. I'm just trying to bring your fever down."

"Please, Mick" Dean begged, tears of distress rolling down his face. "I don't want to...please...I'm sorry...stop..."

"Hush Dean, You're alright. You're safe here." Mary caressed his face, trying to get him to connect with her and bring him back from the nightmare he seemed to be trapped in. Dean made a frightened keening sound, tossing his head from side to side to escape from her touch.

Sam clambered up onto the bed, lying down beside his brother, his forehead resting against Dean's despite the heat. "Dean, it's me," he whispered. "Dean, can you hear me?"

Dean's movements stilled and fevered eyes tried desperately to focus. "Sammy?"

"Yeah Dean, it's me, it's me."

"What's going on? You okay?" Dean mumbled.

"I'm fine, Dean. But you're sick and you need to let Mary help you, okay?"

" It's too hot, Sammy."

"I know and that's why you gotta let Mary help you, okay?"

"Kay, Sammy." Dean whispered as his eyes slipped closed again.

Mary made quick work of the rest of his clothes, leaving him clad only in his boxers just as John returned to announce the bath was ready.

* * *

"Lower him carefully, John. The cold water is going to be a shock to his system."

Cold water? Some of the fog lifted from Dean's head at those words and he forced his heavy lids open to try and take in what was going on. He saw the bath full of water, and fear immediately flooded through him. No. He was going to be punished. John was going to hold him in the freezing water until he couldn't breathe. He began to struggle in John's arms. "No...please...no..."

"Dean? Dean, it's okay, just relax, buddy."

Dean fisted his hand weakly into John's shirt. "Please...you said you wouldn't hurt me...you promised...please."

John felt a pang in his chest at the sound of Dean's desperate pleading. "Dean, I'm not trying to hurt you, kiddo. You have a fever and it's really important we get your temperature down, okay? Dean, can you hear me? "

"I don't feel good." Dean groaned, his head falling heavily against John's shoulder. "I think I'm on fire, John."

"Alright buddy, it's gonna be okay." John gently lowered him into the water and Dean gasped in shock, his body thrashing around wildly.

"No, Dad, no. Please, I'm sorry." Dean struggled in blind panic. He was being held in the water. That only meant one thing, he was being punished. He must have done something wrong but he just couldn't remember what it was. "Dad, I'm sorry. I won't do it again, I promise. Please."

"Shhh, Dean. It's okay. You're alright." John soothed and he felt Dean's body flail a few more times before he slumped in exhaustion. "That's it, kiddo. Just relax. No one gonna hurt you. You're safe."

* * *

By the time Dr. Saunders arrived, Dean was back resting in bed and the doctor was pleased that his temperature was down to 101, not perfect but definitely better than where it had been before the bath. Dean had been given something to help keep his temperature down and then something else to help with the nausea. Dr. Saunders had told them to keep Dean cool and well hydrated, and that he would be back to check to him tomorrow but to call him if they had any problems before then.

"Sam, honey, I know you usually sleep in the bed with Dean but it's important that he stays as cool as possible, so do you think you can sleep in your own bed for tonight?" Mary reached out to gently smooth a hand over Sam's hair. Sam had been sat by his brother's side since Dean had been put back in bed but Mary could see Sam was tiring, his eyes starting to droop.

Sam looked uncertain about leaving Dean but he nodded sleepily. "Night De, I won't be far." Sam kissed his brother's forehead softly before reluctantly moving over to the other bed.

Mary adjusted the fan John had brought up so that it was directed at Dean and she carefully tucked the covers around him. "Sleep well, Dean."

Dean blinked confusedly up at the blurry image in front of him. He had no idea what was going on. His head felt fuzzy and his whole body ached. He could just about make out the long blonde hair of the person leaning over him and one thought floated through the haze. "Mom?"

Mary felt her heart twist in sympathy at that one word. How lost and hurt must Dean be feeling if he was calling out for his mom? "No, Dean," she whispered, softly stroking his cheek. "It's Mary, honey."

Dean squinted, trying to see the person more clearly and he felt sadness flood through him when he realised it wasn't him mom. He chocked back a sob. "I want my mom."

"Shhh, Dean." Mary soothed. "Just go to sleep, baby. You'll feel better soon, I promise."

Dean murmured a few more times before drifting back off to sleep.

"Is he okay?" Sam asked, his voice small and unsure.

Mary smiled, making her way over to him. "He's fine, Sam. What about you? You alright?"

Sam looked down at his bed covers. "I'm not used to sleeping without Dean. It doesn't feel right."

Mary nodded in understanding. "How about I read to you for a little while? Maybe it will help you fall asleep."

Sam chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment before he agreed with a quiet, "Okay."

Mary smiled and picked up 'Escape to Witch Mountain,' one of the books they had brought earlier at store. Sam scooted across on the bed so there was room for Mary to sit, and once they were both settled comfortably she began reading.

It didn't take long until Sam was sound asleep, snoring softly.

**TBC.**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N 1:-** Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. I am so grateful for all your support. :)

**A/N 2:-** Nothing too exciting happens in this chapter. It's just kinda setting the scene for things to come but I hope you all enjoy reading it anyway. :)

**Chapter Nine.**

Sam woke up after only a few hours, it just didn't feel right sleeping without Dean. He felt alone, like a part of him was missing. He tried just watching Dean sleep, hoping that if he was able to see his brother then he wouldn't feel so alone but it was no good. Even from the other side of the room, Sam could tell that Dean was still running a fever so he couldn't just climb into bed with him like he wanted to, but he couldn't sleep this far away from him either.

Gathering up his blanket and a pillow, Sam made a makeshift bed on the floor beside Dean's. It wasn't comfortable but it was close to Dean and that's what mattered. Reaching up, Sam took a hold of one of Dean's hands, holding it tightly and he sighed in relief when he felt that even though Dean's skin still felt hot, it was definitely cooler. Dean was gonna be okay. Sam smiled and fell asleep still clutching his brother's hand in his.

_Sam was cold, and the light was so dim that he could hardly see but he kept moving along the darkened hallways. His whole body ached and the air around him felt thick, like it was coated with something evil and Sam found it hard to breathe._

_"Dean!" he shouted but there was no response, just an all consuming silence that filled every inch of Sam with terror._

_He continued to move forward and instantly froze in fear when he heard the sound of footsteps coming towards him. His heart was pounding so hard that his whole in chest hurt, and he watched with wide eyes as a figure began to appear. The figure's movements were jerky and fast, and their eyes seemed to be glowing a bright disturbing yellow. Sam wanted to run but he couldn't seem to make his legs work, he was rooted to the spot and the figure was getting closer and closer._

_"Dean!" he screamed, praying that his brother would somehow hear him._

_His scream earned a chuckle from the figure and it stopped just in front of him. "Hi ya, Sammy."_

_Sam flinched when it said his name. "Who...who are you?" he stammered._

_ "An old friend." The yellow eyed man looked Sam up and down. "Just thought I'd stop by and check on my investment."_

_"Wh...what?"_

_The figure laughed again. "Nothing for you to worry about right now. Like I said, I'm just checking on you." The man's lips turned up into cruel smile. "Oh, and I also wanted to give you a glimpse of the fun to come."_

_The man clicked his fingers and a blinding light filled the hallway, when it died down the figure was gone, leaving Sam stood in the now brightly lit hallway. Once his eyes had adjusted to the change in light, he realised that just up ahead someone was laying on the floor. No, not someone. Dean. It was Dean._

_Sam rushed over, falling to his knees besides his brother's unmoving form. "No! Dean!" Dean was covered in blood, a huge gash running across his stomach and his eyes were wide open, but they were clouded over, lifeless. There was blood trickling from his ears and mouth, and there was another deep cut along his throat._

_"No, no, no, no" Sam chanted over and over as he desperately tried to wake his brother. "Dean, Please. Dean! No, no, no! Wake up!" He sobbed and pleaded but Dean remained still. There was another sudden flash of light and then another figure was in the hallway with them but unlike the man, this was a figure Sam instantly recognised._

_"Mom?"_

_His mom smiled sadly down at him before fixing her gaze on Dean's bloodied and broken body._

_"Help him." Sam begged._

_His mom shook her head, kneeling down beside him and reaching out to softly touch his cheek. "I'm so sorry, baby."_

_"Please." Sam cried. "Do something. Help him."_

_"I can't save him, Sam," she said, sadly. "Only you can do that."_

_"What?"_

_His mom pulled him closer, cupping his face gently in her hands. "I'm so sorry for what I did to you, Sam." She placed a kiss on his forehead. "It's time to wake up now."_

Sam shot blot upright, panting heavily as his eyes flew wildly around the room. He was on the floor next to Dean's bed. Dean! Sam scrambled to his feet and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his sleeping and very much alive brother. His cheeks were still rosy with fever and sweat beaded on his brow, but there was no blood or slash marks marring his skin.

Sam tried to convince himself that it had just been a bad dream but it had felt so real. It wasn't the first time he had dreamt of his mother, although it had been the first time she'd spoken to him. Sam shivered as he remembered the yellow eyed man. Sometimes in his visions, he saw people who had black eyes and things that didn't look human, but he had never seen anything with yellow eyes and just thinking about the man filled Sam with terror. What if his dream was real? What if the yellow eyed man was coming to get Dean? He had to do something, he couldn't let Dean die.

"Don't worry, De." Sam whispered, giving his brother's hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll keep you safe."

* * *

Sam made his way downstairs and began searching through the cupboards for what he needed. He smiled when his hand closed around the container of salt. In one of his visions he'd watched a woman place lines of salt across all the windows and doors of the room she was hiding in. The salt had stopped the scary looking black eyed man that was hunting her from getting in. Her mistake had been thinking that the thing had left and breaking the salt line when she opened the door to check. Sam's vision had shown him in gruesome detail how the black eyed man had tore her apart.

Grabbing the salt, Sam hurried back upstairs. He hoped that if the salt could keep the black eyed man away then the same would apply for yellow eyed one from his dream. He was just laying the first salt line down across the bedroom window when a voice from behind him made him jump, and he dropped the container of salt to the floor.

"Sam?"

Sam swung round to see John stood in the doorway, his head titled in confusion as he looked from Sam, to the salt and then back to Sam again.

"What you doing, buddy?"

"I wasn't stealing it." Sam babbled quickly, trying to stop his hands from shaking.

John noticed the trembling and gave him a reassuring smile. "Its okay, Sam. I'm not mad. I'm just wondering what you're doing."

"I needed it." Sam replied, his voice quiet and wary.

"The salt?"

Sam nodded.

"Why?"

Sam looked at Dean for a few moments before focusing his attention back on John. "For protection. To keep Dean safe."

John furrowed his brow. He'd seen a lot of strange protective behaviour from the foster kids he and Mary had taken in, but salt? Well, that was definitely a new one.

"I'm not crazy." Sam stated when John didn't reply.

John couldn't help but smile. "I never said you were, kiddo. Do you want to tell me how the salt is supposed to protect you?"

Sam just shrugged. He couldn't tell John the truth. Even if he believed Sam, it wouldn't end well. It certainly hadn't when he'd tried to tell his dad about his visions. "I don't know. It just does."

John nodded, knowing that whatever this was, he wasn't going to be getting anymore out of Sam tonight. "Okay, well it's kinda late and you should be sleeping. So what do you say we leave the salt for now and get you back to bed?" That's when John noticed the blanket and pillow on the floor next to Dean's bed. "You were sleeping on the floor?"

"I wanted to be closer to Dean." Sam admitted, quietly.

John smiled sadly. "I understand that but I don't think Dean will be very happy if he wakes up and finds out you've been sleeping on the hard floor all night, will he?"

Sam shook his head.

"Okay, so let's get you tucked back up in a proper bed, alright?"

"Okay."

John picked up the pillow and blanket from the floor and ushered Sam back over to his bed. "Right, now try and get some more sleep, okay?"

"What's going on?"

John turned around, surprised to find Dean up out of bed, leaning heavily on the bedside table.

"Dean, what the hell are you doing, kid?" John quickly grabbed a hold of Dean's arm when he swayed unsteadily. "You're sick. You shouldn't be out of bed."

"Me? What the hell are you doing?" Dean meant for his voice to sound firm and threatening but it came out small and raspy. He'd woken up to find John looming over Sam's bed and he was up on feet before he even had time to think about it.

"Your brother woke up. I was just settling him back into bed, that's all." John said, gently guiding Dean back towards his own bed but Dean shrugged out of his hold.

"Sammy, you okay?"

Sam nodded. "I'm fine, Dean."

Dean noticed the salt on the floor and quirked an eyebrow at his brother. "You sure?"

"I'm alright. I promise."

"Okay, well now we know everyone's alright, let's get back into bed shall we?" John once again nudged Dean towards his bed.

"Alright, I'm going. I'm going." Dean grumbled as he shuffled back into bed.

"Thank you." John said and he picked up the salt container from the floor. "Get some sleep, boys, and we'll talk about this some more in the morning."

As soon as John shut the door behind him, Dean sat himself up in bed. "Sam, you okay? What's going on?"

"I'm okay, Dean." Sam assured. "Just had a bad dream."

Dean immediately made room for Sam in his bed and lifted the covers in invitation. "C'mere kiddo."

Sam shook his head. "No, you're sick. I don't wanna make you worse."

"You won't. I'm feeling loads better." Okay, loads was stretching the truth a bit but he wasn't feeling like he was going to die anymore, and anyway Sam needed him and that's all that mattered. "Come on, Sammy."

Sam was wrapped in his arms just seconds later and Dean smiled until his felt the tremors racking Sam's frame. "Hey, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Bad dream." Sam sniffled, burrowing further into Dean's chest.

"That why you got the salt?"

Sam nodded. "Wanted to keep you safe."

Dean wasn't sure what to make of Sam's whole monsters are real theory. Most of Sam's visions didn't feature any kind of monsters or creatures but there were few times where Sam had insisted he had seen something that couldn't have been human. The detail in which Sam would describe the things he'd seen made it hard not for Dean to believe him, but he had yet to see anything non human himself. The whole salt thing had also come from a vision and it wasn't unusual for Sam to want to salt the windows and doors after a particularly disturbing vision or nightmare.

"John caught me. I think he thinks I'm crazy now."

Dean ran his hand soothingly up and down Sam's arm. "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to him in the morning."

"What you gonna say?"

"I'll think of something." Dean assured. "You wanna tell me about your dream?"

Dean rubbed comforting circles on his brother's back when he felt Sam tense up. "Shhh, it's alright."

"You got hurt." Sam whimpered. "Really bad."

"It was just a dream." Dean soothed. "I'm fine, Sammy."

"It felt real." Sam whispered. "I saw mom. She spoke to me."

Dean felt his heart twist painfully at the mention of their mom and he had to try to keep his voice steady. "Yeah? What did she say?"

"That she was sorry for what she did to me." Sam replied, clutching the fabric of Dean's top tightly. "What do you think she meant by that?"

"It was just a dream, kiddo." Dean said. "I'm sure it doesn't mean anything."

Sam sighed. "John took the salt. I can't make the room safe anymore."

"You don't need to. I'm here and I won't let anything bad happen, okay?"

"Can I sleep here tonight? I know you're still sick but I..."

"Shhh." Dean hushed. "Of course you can sleep here."

Dean moved them around in the bed so Sam was on the side nearest the wall, and he smiled as Sam snuggled down into his arms. "Go to sleep now, Sammy," he whispered and he gently ran is fingers through Sam's hair until his breathing evened out and his brother fell to sleep. As he watched him sleep peacefully, Dean was reminded of the first time he slept with Sam in his arms like this.

_Dean squirmed around under the scratchy motel blankets. This wasn't his bed and no matter how much he tried he just couldn't get comfortable. He missed his bed, his house and more than anything he missed his mommy. It had been two days now since daddy had told him his mommy was never coming back. Two days since his daddy had taken him and baby Sammy from their home and brought them here. He didn't understand it and he didn't like it. The room they were staying in was dark and smelt weird, and the only things in the room were two beds, a beat up old couch and a television. _

_Dean sniffled unable to stop the tears from falling. He wanted his mommy but no matter how much he cried, prayed or begged she wouldn't come back. Nothing felt right anymore, he was scared and he needed his mommy to make it better._

_A soft cry from the other bed caught Dean's attention and his eyes landed on his baby brother, who was wriggling around unhappily in the middle of the bed. When they had first arrived here, his daddy had just dumped Sammy on the bed and left him, Dean was worried that baby Sammy might fall off, so he had bunched the blankets up in the middle of the bed to form a kind of makeshift cot. Sammy had been sleeping peacefully but he was now awake, wriggling around as his cries for attention got louder and louder._

_Dean glanced over at where his daddy was slumped on couch watching TV. He was sure any second now his dad would get up and answer Sammy's cries, but his dad didn't move, he just sat there drinking from the bottle that always made him smell funny. As baby Sammy's cries turned into wails, Dean frowned, his mommy would never leave Sammy to cry this long. Why wasn't his daddy doing anything? Unable to just ignore his brother's obvious distress, Dean clambered out of his bed and padded over to the couch. _

_"Daddy?" he asked, his tone cautious. His daddy had been angry a lot lately and Dean didn't want to get shouted at._

_His dad didn't answer, didn't even turn to look at him, he just stared blankly ahead at the TV._

_"Daddy?" Dean tried again and this time he reached out to place a small hand on his dad's arm. "Daddy, Sammy is crying."_

_His dad roughly shrugged Dean's hand off him. "Go away."_

_"But daddy, the baby..."_

_ "Leave me alone," his dad snapped and took another long drink from the bottle in his hand._

_"Daddy, baby Sammy needs..."_

_Dean words were cut off when his dad's hand suddenly swung out and smacked him hard across the mouth, the force of the strike sending him falling backwards and onto his butt._

_"I said go away!" his dad snarled before turning his attention back to the TV._

_Dean sat on the floor in shock. What did he do wrong? Why did his daddy hit him like that? Couldn't his daddy hear baby Sammy's cries? He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, trying not to cry when he tasted the blood from where his dad had split his lip. He carefully stood back up and on shaky legs he made his way over to his now screaming baby brother._

_"Shhh. its okay, Sammy." Dean gently gathered the baby into his arms and Sam instantly grabbed a hold of Dean's pyjama top with his chubby little hands. _

_"I gotcha." Dean soothed, trying to rock the baby in his arms the same way he had seen his mommy do. "Shhh, Shhh."_

_Once baby Sammy's cries had died down to the occasional hiccup, Dean carefully carried him over to his own bed and placed him softly on the side nearest the wall, before climbing up beside him and curling his body protectively around the small form._

_"Don't cry, Sammy," he hushed. "I'm gonna take care of you." _

_Baby Sam made a soft snuffling sound as he snuggled closer to Dean._

_"Go to sleep now, Sammy." Dean glanced over at his dad's slumped form and tears welled up in his eyes at the memory of his dad's hand hitting him but Dean didn't let them fall. He had to be strong now. He had to look after baby Sammy. Dean smiled down at the now sleeping baby and gently placed a kiss on his head. "Don't worry," he whispered. "I'll protect you."_

Dean smiled, pulling Sam closer to him. "I'll always protect you."

**TBC.**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:-** As always, thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. You are all amazing and I really appreciate it. :)

**Chapter Ten.**

Mary had just finished putting away the groceries when she turned and saw Sam standing by the kitchen table, shuffling awkwardly on his feet. Over the past two weeks the boys had been settling in well but they both still had trouble asking when they wanted something.

"Hey Sam," she smiled. "You okay, sweetie?"

Sam nodded, scratching the back of his hand nervously.

"Is there something you wanted, honey?" she asked gently.

"Dean's sick and...and I..." Sam babbled and he let out a frustrated huff when he couldn't get the words out right.

"It's okay, Sam." Mary coaxed. "Just take a deep breath and start again."

Sam took a couple of calming breaths before trying again. "Dean's sick and I wanted to ask if you could help me make him some soup?"

"Soup?"

"Dean told me that if he got sick when he was little, mom would make him soup to help him feel better." Sam answered, looking anxiously down at his feet, unsure weather he should be asking or not.

"I think that sounds like a great idea." Mary deliberately made her tone cheerful, hoping it would ease Sam's anxiety. "I was just about to make a start on lunch anyway and soup sounds like the perfect choice."

Sam looked up with a shy smile on his face. "Yeah? Do...can...can we make chicken noodle? That's what our mom used to make."

"I don't think I have all the ingredients we need for chicken noodle." Mary replied. "But I've told that I make a really good tomato rice soup. What do you think? Do you reckon Dean will like tomato rice?"

Sam chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment before nodding.

"Okay, then let's get cooking."

Mary gathered up the ingredients they required and began instructing Sam on what needed to be done. She was surprised by how well Sam completed each task he was set and that he seemed genuinely interested in what Mary was saying.

"You know, Sam. I think you'd make a really great chef one day. You're doing a great job."

"Dean said that our mom was really good at cooking." Sam replied. "And that she made the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the whole world."

Mary smiled. "Well maybe the cooking thing is something you get from her."

"Maybe." Sam shrugged, and then he stopped what he was doing, looking sadly down at the table. "I wouldn't know though."

"You wouldn't know what?"

"About the sandwiches." Sam answered, his voice starting to shake a little. "She died before I was old enough for her to make them for me."

Mary knew from the social services report that Sam and Dean's mom had died when Sam was just a baby. The report had said that their mom had been killed in a break in gone wrong, and that she had been found lying lifeless on the floor in the nursery with baby Sam sat by her side. No one had ever been caught for the crime.

She gently wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Sam."

"You shouldn't feel sorry for me." Sam sniffled. "It's my fault she died. If you feel sorry for anyone it should be Dean. If I hadn't had got mom killed then Dean would never have been hurt so much."

"Sam, it's not your fault your mom died." Mary rubbed a hand up and down his arm, trying to soothe him. "You didn't get anyone killed."

Sam shook his head. "Yes I did. Mom died because she was protecting me. If I hadn't of been there then she would still be alive." Sam began trembling. "I saw a photo once of mom, dad and Dean, and they looked so happy. Dad was smiling and my whole life I can't ever remember dad smiling once. He had Dean on his shoulders and Dean was giggling." Sam's voice cracked as tears ran down his face. "If I had never been born then they would still be that happy family. Mom would never have died, dad would never have turned into a monster and Dean would be safe."

Mary felt her heart ache at Sam's pain and she pulled him into her arms. "Shhh, Sam," she soothed. "None of that was your fault. You hear me? None of it. You were just an innocent baby and your mom loved you. She did what any mother would do and protected her baby, that doesn't make her death your fault." Mary ran her hand softly up and down Sam's back. "And as for you never being born? Well, I think your brother would have something to say about that. Dean loves you Sam and he wouldn't change you for the world."

Sam let Mary comfort him for a little while longer before taking a deep breath to try and pull himself together.

Mary pulled back a bit when she felt Sam start to calm down and she smiled softly at him. "Okay, what do say we get back to the soup?"

Sam nodded.

"Good." Mary turned her attention back to the cooker, stirring the pot of soup. "Can you pass me the salt?"

Sam went to grab the salt, but hesitated at the last second when he remembered John catching him trying to put down the salt lines in the bedroom last night.

"It's alright, Sam." Mary noticed his reluctance and gave him a reassuring smile. "John told me about the thing with salt last night and it's fine. No one is mad at you and you're not in any trouble, okay?"

Sam nodded and handed over the salt, watching as Mary poured the required amount into the soup.

"So, do you want to tell me about what happened with salt last night?"

Sam shrugged. "Just got scared."

"And you thought the salt would help keep you safe?"

Sam looked uncomfortable. "I guess."

"Why salt?"

"I don't know." Sam lied. "Can...can we talk about something else?"

"Sure sweetie." Not wanting to upset him any further, Mary went back to talking about cooking.

* * *

John smiled at the peaceful look on Dean's face as he slept. It seemed a shame to have to wake him but it was time for his medication, so John gently shook his shoulder.

Dean jolted awake and it saddened John that whenever he woke Dean, the first emotion on the kid's face was always fear. It soon faded to a look of caution when he realised where we he was and he blinked sleepily up at John.

"What's going on? Sam okay?"

"He's fine." John assured quickly. "He's downstairs with Mary making lunch. How you feeling?"

Dean shrugged. "M'okay." He still wasn't sure how to respond to all the concern John and Mary were giving him. Whenever he had gotten ill at his uncle's, he had been punished for it, as if it was somehow his fault that he was sick.

John reached out to feel Dean's forehead, keeping his movements slow and steady so that Dean could see his hand coming in plenty of time. "Well, your fever has definitely gone down." John smiled in relief. "You gave us all quite the scare last night, kiddo."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Dean lowered his head. "I don't know what happened. I was feeling fine then everything just got all fuzzy."

"There's no need to apologise, Dean. You can't help getting sick." John sat down on the edge of the bed. "Do you remember much about last night?"

"Not really." Dean mumbled, picking idly at the bed sheets. "I remember the bath."

John nodded and carefully he reached out and lifted Dean's chin so that he could meet his eyes. "You do know that wasn't a punishment, right? I wasn't doing that to hurt you or out of anger. It was only to try and bring your temperature down."

"I know." Dean said quietly. "It's just at the time it felt like before when my dad would...and I panicked cause I didn't know what I'd done to make you angry."

"Dean, listen to me." John kept his tone firm but calm. "It will never be like that here. No matter what you do, I will never intentionally hurt you or brother."

"You say that now but..."

John shook his head. "No buts, Dean. It's not going to happen. Not ever."

Dean gave a small nod although he still looked uncertain, and John understood that it was going to be a long time before Dean would be able to completely trust what he was saying.

"Okay, well it's time for some more medicine." John grabbed the glass of water and tablets from the bedside table and handed them to Dean.

"You know with the amount of pills you people keep shoving down me, I'm surprised I'm not rattling." Dean grumbled but he dutifully swallowed the tablets.

John chuckled softly, replacing the glass back on the table before turning his attention back to Dean. "I wanted to speak to you for a moment, about what happened with Sam last night and the salt."

Dean sighed. "Look, don't be mad at Sam, okay? The salt is just a security thing he does when he gets scared. He was already freaking cause I was sick and then on top of that he had nightmare. He was just trying to feel safe."

"I'm not mad at him Dean. I'm just trying to understand why Sam would think the salt would protect him."

Dean bristled. "He's not crazy if that's what you're thinking."

John held up his hands placating. "I never thought he was. It's just that it's an unusual thing to do."

Dean wasn't sure what to say. It's not like he could tell John the truth about Sam's visions, and to be honest he didn't even really understand the whole salt thing himself. "I'm not sure why he does it, but if it bothers you that much then I'll make sure he doesn't do it again, okay?"

"It doesn't bother me, Dean. I'm just concerned. If Sam feels unsafe then I want to be able to help."

"You don't need to worry about helping him." Dean said firmly. "That's my job and I can look after him just fine."

John could tell that Dean was getting defensive and knew he had to tread carefully. "I know you can, buddy, but you shouldn't have to cope with all that responsibility on your own, and if Mary and I help then..."

"He's not some burden." Dean snapped, wincing at the pain the action caused in his still sore throat. "He's my brother and you don't get to take that away from me, got it?"

John nodded not wanting Dean to get anymore worked up. "Okay Dean, it's alright. I didn't mean to upset you. Just relax, alright?"

Dean glared at John for a few more moments before taking some deep breaths to calm himself down. He was thankful that Sam didn't pick up on any tension when he came through the door just a few seconds later with a huge smile on his face and a tray clutched in his hands.

"Dean, you're awake." Sam grinned and made his way over to his brother, proudly presenting him with the tray. "I made you lunch."

"Wow Sammy, this looks great." Dean said, making a show of examining everything on the lunch tray.

"It's soup." Sam declared, clearly pleased with himself. "Mary helped me make it. It's tomato rice. I know mom used to make you chicken noodle but I think you'll like this one too."

Dean glanced briefly over at Mary who was placing a second tray down on Sam's bed.

"Mary said that I can eat lunch up here with you because Jake and Becca are coming over."

Mary saw Dean tense up at the mention of the social workers. "It's okay, Dean, " she assured. "They're just coming round to check you're both settling in okay. It's nothing for you to worry about."

Dean nodded but his expression remained wary.

"Alright. Well, you boys enjoy lunch and if you need anything John and I will be just downstairs, okay?"

Once John and Mary had left, Dean turned his attention back to his brother who was still beaming with pride at Dean's lunch tray.

Dean couldn't help but smile. He loved it when Sam was happy. "So, you liked cooking then?"

Sam nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it was fun."

Dean chuckled. "You're such a girl, Sammy," he teased.

"Shut up." Sam hit his brother playfully on the shoulder before going to the other bed to eat his own lunch.

* * *

"What time should they be getting here?" John asked as he took a seat on the couch.

"Any minute now." Mary replied. "They said there are a couple of things they need to discuss with us."

"Well I hope one of them is counselling." John sighed. "It's been over three weeks now and we still haven't heard anything."

Mary took his hand in hers. "You're worried."

"I just can't help feeling I'm missing something big." John ran a hand tiredly over his face. "I mean this whole thing with Sam and the salt, something about that just doesn't seem right. I know Dean knew more than he was letting on but he wouldn't talk to me."

"You think they're hiding something?"

John nodded. "And whatever it is, they're terrified, and if they don't feel comfortable talking to us then hopefully the counsellors will be able to help them."

The sound of the door knocking interrupted them and Mary got up to go and meet Becca and Jake.

Once everyone was seated in the lounge, Mary handed around the coffee before sitting down beside John on the couch.

"So, how are the boys doing?" Becca asked.

"They're doing well." Mary answered. "Dean's still feeling a little sick but he's getting better. He and Sam are just upstairs having lunch."

Becca nodded. "I'll go up and say hello before I leave."

"As I said on the phone," Jake began, "There are a few things we wanted to discuss. The first is that we are aware that this was only supposed to a short term placement, but unfortunately we haven't been unable to find anywhere more suitable for the boys. We are of course still looking but..."

John raised his hand, cutting Jake off. "It's fine for the boys to stay here as long as needed."

Mary nodded her agreement. "They seem to be settling well here and we honestly don't mind them staying longer than planned."

"Okay then." Becca smiled. "At some point of the next few days we would like for Dean and Sam to come in for an interview in regards to the court case against their uncle."

"We of course already have a pretty good case with just the findings from the boy's physical exams, but if Sam or Dean admits to their uncle being the one who abused them then the chances of us winning would be a lot stronger." Jake added.

John looked unsure. "Dean's still not well. I'm not sure adding any more stress at the moment would be a good idea. Can't it wait until he's feeling stronger."

"We really want to do this as soon as possible, Mr. Winchester." Jake stated.

"Would you be interviewing them together?" Mary asked.

"No, we need to talk to them separately."

John shook his head. "Dean's not going to agree to that."

"Dean's a minor. He doesn't get to make the rules." Jake replied, irritation creeping into his tone.

"Look," said Becca, before John had a chance to respond. "No one wants to cause Dean or Sam any more distress but this is important, and I think we all agree that we want to ensure their uncle doesn't get away with what he's done."

John shot Jake a hard glare before nodding tightly. "But if it starts proving too much for either of the boys then they get to stop."

"Of course." Becca smiled. "Now, the other thing we wanted to talk to you about is Dean and Sam's schooling."

"We want to get them both back into some kind of mainstream education as soon as possible." Jake explained. "We have Dean's school reports and grades from his previous school, so we have some idea where he is academically, but as Sam has never attended school we need to find out what level he is at educationally."

Becca pulled some files out of her bag, handing them over to John and Mary. "These are some general developmental and school screening tests. They will help us identify any problem areas that Sam may have as well as any particular strengths. If you could go over them with Sam at some point in the near future then we would be very grateful."

Mary nodded. "Not a problem."

"Okay, is there anything else you wish to discuss?" Becca asked.

"What about counselling for the boys?" John questioned. "Has anything been sorted out yet?"

"Not as of yet but we are hoping it won't be too much longer before something is arranged." Becca replied and John had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying something he might regret.

* * *

After Becca and Jake had quickly spoken to the boys they had left, telling John and Mary that they would call and let them know when Sam and Dean's interviews had been arranged. John had gone outside to work on the Impala and Mary was sat at the kitchen table going through the school assessments Becca had left. She was distracted from the paperwork when Sam walked into the room, balancing both lunch trays in his arms.

Mary quickly moved to help him with the load before anything tumbled to the floor. "Sam, honey, you didn't need to bring these down. I would have gotten them later."

"I don't mind." Sam replied. "I wanted to help and Dean fell asleep...again."

"It's okay, Sam." Mary assured, picking up on the concern in Sam's tone. "People tend to sleep a lot when they're sick. Dean's going to be fine."

Sam nodded.

"If you've got a minute there's something I'd like to talk to you about." Mary smiled and patted the chair next to her. "You want to come and sit down for a sec."

Sam slowly moved and sat down, his eyes glancing curiously over the papers spread out on the table.

"Do you know what these are?" Mary asked.

Sam shook his head.

"These are some school papers. I thought we could look over them and see which parts you like and which ones you don't." Mary said, keeping her tone soft and coaxing.

The tension that coursed through Sam's body at the word school was immediate. "Why?"

"Because it will help us find out how best to help you get the most out of school." Mary smiled.

"I already told you, I'm too stupid for school." Sam mumbled, lowering his head so his hair covered his eyes.

"And I told you that I don't believe that's true." Mary said gently. "Why don't we just have a look and see what you think?"

Sam chewed nervously on his lip and shook his head. "I'll just do it wrong," he whispered.

"It's not about getting it right or wrong, Sam." Mary assured. "All you're expected to do is try. If you get something wrong then that's fine. Nothing bad will happen because you make a mistake."

Sam remained silent but he did look across at the papers.

"Come on." Mary coaxed. "Let's just take a look, okay? If you want to stop then we will."

It turned out that Sam had quite a head for numbers and he breezed over most the math problems with ease, but he found reading a lot more difficult and he stuttered over a lot of the words. He was reading a paragraph on one of the English worksheets when he came to word he didn't know and he just froze.

"Sam?" Mary gave him an encouraging smile. "If you don't know what it is, that's okay. Why don't you just try and sound it out."

Sam didn't move. He didn't speak. He just stared at the unknown word in front of him. Up until now even though he'd struggled over a lot of the words, he had been able to figure them out, but he just didn't have a clue what this word was. His mind flashed back to the time when Dean had been at school and his aunt and uncle had decided to teach him to read. Their method of teaching had been to give him a book that was pretty much impossible for him to read, and then his uncle would hit him every time he got a word wrong while his aunt called him all the names under the sun. Dean had been so angry when he'd come home and found Sam beaten and bloody, and he remembered that Dean didn't go to school for months after that, refusing to leave Sam's side.

Sam closed his eyes against the cruel memory, trying to force it back but he couldn't and he felt himself begin to shake.

"Sam?" Mary said in concern when she noticed the trembling. "Hey, Sam, it's alright. Do you want to stop, sweetie? It's okay if you do."

Sam didn't respond. He just shivered as he stared down at the paper in front of him.

"Sam?" Mary reached out to gently touch his shoulder, quickly pulling her hand back when Sam flinched violently and let out a distressed noise.

"Hey, Sam? It's okay, you're alright." Mary said softly, alarmed at how Sam's breathing was beginning to speed up.

"Everything okay?"

The sound of John's voice had an immediate impact on Sam. He jumped nearly a mile in the air at the sound and then whimpering loudly, he slid off the chair and underneath the table.

Sam curled himself into a ball, placing his arms protectively over his head as he repeatedly screamed the only word his mind could form through his terror. "Dean!"

"What happened?" John asked in shock, rushing over to kneel beside the table Sam was hiding under.

"I don't know." Mary said, her concern clear. "We were just going over the school work and he was fine, but then he just started panicking."

"Sam? Hey buddy, can you hear me?" John kept his tone low and calm. "Sam?"

"Sam!" The sound of Sam's name being shouted was quickly followed by a series of thuds as Dean raced down the stairs. That was then followed by a series of louder thuds as Dean lost his footing and fell down the last half of the stairs.

"Son of a..." John cursed under his breath, hurrying over to help Dean, leaving Mary to look after Sam.

"Jesus, Dean." John quickly reached down to help him up from the heap he was in on the floor. "You okay?"

"Get off me." Dean growled, batting John's hands away and shoving him out of his way. "Sam!"

Dean flew into the kitchen, his eyes frantically searching the room for his brother. "Back off," he snapped at Mary who was knelt by the table that he could see Sam cowering under. Dean was under the table and had Sam in his arms within seconds. "Hey Sammy, it's okay. I'm here, I'm here. Shhh, it's alright, you're okay." Dean soothed, rocking his brother slowly backwards and forwards. "Shhh, Sam."

Sam curled his fists tightly into Dean's shirt and he tried to take a few deep breaths, letting the scent of Dean and therefore safety wash over him.

"That's it's, Sammy." Dean whispered. "Just breathe. You're alright now. I'm here."

Once Sam had calmed down enough, Dean pulled back so he could meet Sam's eyes. "What happened, kiddo?"

"I...I...and...but..." Sam stammered, unable to stop shaking long enough to form a proper sentence.

"Shhh, Shhh. It's alright, Sammy." Dean rubbed comforting circles across Sam's back "Just relax. I gotcha."

"Okay kiddo," he said after a few more moments. "You ready to get out from under here?"

Sam looked around fearfully but nodded.

"Okay, come on." Dean smiled and gently helped Sam out from under the table. The second they were upright, Sam plastered himself to Dean, hiding his face in his brother's chest. "Shhh, I'm here, Sam. You're safe."

"Dean?" John said, taking a careful step towards them.

Dean ignored him in favour of glancing over at the papers on the table. It didn't him long to realise what they were and he fixed Mary with an accusing stare. "What did you do?"

"We were just looking at some of school stuff that the social workers brought over." Mary explained.

"I told you not to talk to him about school." Dean snarled, shushing Sam when he felt his brother flinch at his tone. "I told you to leave anything to do with school to me."

"Dean, we're just trying to help you both." John said.

"Well, great job you've done." Dean snapped. "All you've managed to do is terrify him."

John sighed. "Dean..."

"No." Dean's eyes were furious as they focused on John. "If you really want to help him then just leave him the hell alone."

Dean gave them both another angry glare before gently leading Sam away and back up to their bedroom.

* * *

"The boys sleeping?" Mary asked when John joined her in bed later that night.

"Sam is but Dean's still wide awake." John replied. "And judging by the death glare I got when I checked on them, I don't think he's forgiven us yet."

"At least they both still came down for dinner."

John nodded, pulling Mary into his arms. "Andy called while you were in shower?"

"Yeah? He alright?"

"He's fine." John smiled. "Just said that he was having a few buddies from the marines over tomorrow for barbeque and wanted to invite us over. I said we would."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean Dean and Sam really didn't react well when we in that restaurant and then with what happened earlier today."

"No, I'm not sure." John sighed. "But Mare, they can't just stay cooped up inside the house all the time, and Andy's sons are around the same age as Dean and Sam, maybe they'll be more at ease with some other kids around."

Mary nodded. "I really hope so."

"We'll keep a close eye on them, if it looks like it too much for them then we can always leave." John kissed the top of Mary's head and Mary sighed happily as she cuddled closer. "Get some sleep, baby," he whispered and he closed his eyes, hoping that the agreeing to the barbeque wouldn't turn out to be a huge mistake.

**TBC**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N :-** Thank you to those who took the time to read and review. All your comments are very helpful. :) Enjoy the next chapter. :)

**Chapter Eleven.**

"Hey Sammy," Dean smiled and brushed his brother's bangs out of his face as Sam sleepily blinked his eyes open. "How you feeling?"

Sam yawned, snuggling closer to Dean. "I'm okay."

"Good." Dean murmured into Sam's hair, kissing the top of his head.

"What about you? You feeling okay?"

Dean nodded.

Sam pulled back a little so he could look up at Dean and he quirked an eyebrow at his brother. "Really? Cause you look like you've been up all night. Did you get any sleep?"

"I got a few hours." Dean lied. It wasn't unusual for Sam to have really bad nightmares after being upset, so Dean had stayed up to make sure he was there for Sam if needed.

Sam sighed. He knew Dean was lying and that his brother had been up the whole night watching over him. "Dean, you're still sick. You need to sleep."

"I'm fine, Sammy." Dean assured. "And I spent most of yesterday in bed. I've had plenty of sleep."

Sam groaned, hiding his face back in Dean's neck. "I can't believe I freaked out like that yesterday."

Dean huffed. "Mary and John should never have pushed you on the whole school thing."

"It wasn't their fault, Dean." Sam said. "Mary was just trying to help and John didn't even come in until after I started panicking."

"They still upset you, Sam. And I told Mary before not to talk to you about school."

Sam shook his head. "Mary didn't do anything wrong. I didn't mind looking at those papers and I was actually liking it until the reading." Sam swallowed, his breath hitching a little. "I got stuck on a word and when I couldn't figure it out, it reminded me of the time when Mick and Janice tried to teach me to read and...well...you know."

Dean ran his fingers soothingly through Sam's hair. "Shhh." He didn't need Sam to say anything else, he remembered all to well the condition he found Sam in when he got home from school that day, and he knew he was to blame for it. The day before Dean had fought Mick on one of his punishments. Dean knew what happened to Sam was meant as a lesson for Dean. He did want Mick wanted or Sam would be the one to pay the price for him disobeying.

"I think we should apologise." Sam whispered.

Dean frowned. "Apologise?"

Sam nodded. "To John and Mary. I know you were angry at them but what happened wasn't really their fault and I feel bad that we basically just ignored them for the rest of the night."

"Weather they meant to or not, they still scared you Sam and I'm not okay with that."

Sam looked back up at his brother. "Please, Dean."

Dean held his gaze for a few moments before rolling his eyes in defeat. "Fine, fine. We'll apologise," he grumbled. "So you can put those puppy dog eyes away now."

Sam grinned.

* * *

"John?"

"Hey Dean." John lowered the newspaper he was reading down onto the couch.

"Everything alright?" John asked when Dean didn't say anything and just stood there looking uncomfortable.

"Sorry." Dean mumbled.

"Sorry?"

"Yeah, about last night. Sam thinks we should apologise, for you know ignoring you and stuff." Dean shrugged. "So, I'm sorry."

John couldn't help but smile. "And what about you? Do you think you should apologise?"

"Not really. You frightened my brother." Dean replied and then sighed, "But I guess I didn't need to shout at you the way I did and Sammy wants us to apologise, so that's what I'm doing."

"Well apology accepted, even though it isn't necessary." John said. "I understand why you got upset and that you were just protecting Sam, but Mary was honestly just trying to help."

Dean looked down at the floor.

"I know it's not easy for you to trust us, but I promise you that we aren't going to suddenly just turn on you and Sam. All we want to do is help."

Dean didn't look convinced but he nodded. "So, are we okay now?"

"Of course." John smiled and then gestured for Dean to take a seat. "Actually there's something I wanted to talk to you about if you don't mind."

Dean sat down on the couch and eyed John warily. "What is it?"

"A good friend of mine has invited us over to his house for a barbeque, and I thought it would a good chance for us all to get out of the house for a while." John answered and he watched Dean carefully for his reaction.

Dean stiffened. "You want to take us to your friend's house?" Damm. His behaviour last night must have pissed John off worse than he thought.

"Yeah, his name's Andy and he was in the marines with me." John replied, keeping his tone low and calm when he noticed how tense Dean had become. "He's got two sons, Ryan and Alex, they're about the same ages as you and Sam, and they're really nice kids."

"I think me and Sam will just stay here." Dean said, shakily. He knew John wouldn't accept that but he had to try. He had been taken to enough of Mick's _'friend's'_ houses to know what was going to happen if John took him to Andy's. Maybe John was one of those people who didn't like dishing out the punishments himself but was more than happy for someone else to do it.

"Dean, we've been through this. Mary and I can't just go out and leave you boys here alone."

"If you want us to go out then we could all just go to the park again." Dean stammered. _Please John, please. I'm sorry. Don't take me to Andy's. Please, _he said in his head over and over. "Or the restaurant. We could go back to the restaurant."

John raised his eyebrows in surprise at that. The restaurant? Dean and Sam had barely been able to spend 10 minutes in there before they were panicking from being around so many people. Why would Dean want to go back? "Dean, it's okay. Andy's a real nice guy and there won't be too many people there, just a few friends..."

"Just take me then." Dean said, his voice taking on a desperate edge. "Let Sam stay here with Mary."

John frowned, his concern rapidly growing. The whole time the boys had been here, Dean had barely left Sam's side and now he was suggesting leaving his brother behind? "Dean, what's wrong? What's..."

John was cut off when Dean suddenly grabbed a hold of his arm and began babbling almost hysterically. "Please John, if you gotta do this then please don't take Sam," he pleaded. "I'll go and I won't fight, I swear, but please, please leave Sam here."

"Hey Dean, calm down kiddo." John said gently, alarmed at how pale and panicked Dean was getting. "I don't understand. Why would you want to leave Sam behind?"

"Please John." Dean begged, his breathing beginning to speed up. "As long as I was good and did what I was told then Mick would let Sammy stay at home. I swear John, I'll be good...your friend can do what he wants...I won't struggle...please..."

John felt like he might throw up when the meaning of Dean's words finally sunk in. Dean thought John was going to give him to Andy so he could...Oh god. "Dean, no." John said quickly. "That's not what's happening, buddy. I promise that's not what this is. It's just a barbeque, that's it."

Dean couldn't seem to hear him and was just repeating _'Don't take Sam' _over and over in between stuttered breaths.

John took a hold of Dean's shoulders, trying to make eye contact. "Dean, you need to breathe, buddy. Everything's alright. You don't have to go anywhere, okay? We can all just stay here. Just breathe, Dean, Breathe."

Dean gasped as he tried to take some air into his burning lungs. "Pl...please..."

"Shhh, Dean." John soothed. "You're okay. Nothing's going to happen. You're safe, alright? Shhh."

John continued to whisper reassurances and finally Dean's breathing began calm and his shaking started to ease. "There you go. That's it, just relax," he encouraged, moving one of hands to rub comforting circles across Dean's back.

"You back with me, kid?" John asked after a few more moments.

Dean nodded but his kept his head down, refusing to meet John's worried gaze.

"Hey Dean, look at me." John gently lifted his chin up so Dean met his eyes. "Please, talk to me. Tell me what's going on?"

"I...I thought you said we were okay." Dean said, quietly.

John frowned in confusion. "What?"

"I apologised and you said that we were okay, but then you wanted to take me to your friend's house and..."

"Dean, no. I wasn't taking you there for anything but a barbeque." John assured, firmly. "I don't know exactly what would happen when your uncle Mick would take you somewhere, but I can take a guess and I swear to you that will never happen to you here. I would never do that to you, Dean. And I would never allow someone else to do that to you."

Dean took a few more deep breaths and nodded.

John smiled, patting him gently on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dean. I didn't think this barbeque through well enough. You don't have to go, okay? We can just stay home for today."

Dean looked surprised. "We can?"

"Sure." John nodded. "I might just drop by Andy's to say a quick hello but you and Sam can stay here with Mary, alright?"

"You don't mind?"

"Nah." John smiled. "And when I get back maybe we could all watch a movie or something. What do you reckon?"

Dean gave him a shaky smile in return. "Yeah, that sounds okay."

* * *

"Mary, is it alright if me and Sam go upstairs to read our comics until John gets back?" Dean asked.

"Sure sweetie." Mary smiled. "Can you do me a favour and take up some laundry with you?"

Dean nodded.

Mary handed him a stack of folded clean laundry. "Just put them on the bed in my room and I'll sort them out later."

"Okay. Come on, Sam," he called and made his way upstairs with Sam following close behind.

"You go in, Sam. I'll be there in a minute." Dean said and Sam nodded, walking into their bedroom as Dean went to drop the laundry off in John and Mary's room.

Dean placed the laundry carefully on the bed before glancing around the room. He hadn't really seen inside John and Mary's bedroom and he was curious. It was clear that Mary had been the one to make the decorating decisions but the room was nice and had a homely feel to it. He noticed two framed photos on the bedside table and moved over to take a look. One was of John and Mary on their wedding day and the other appeared to be a group photo of some soldiers. Dean knew John had been in the marines and he picked up the photo for a closer look, seeing if he could find John in the picture.

Dean froze, his blood running cold. It wasn't hard to spot John but it wasn't John's face that caused pure terror to flood through his body. There stood just beside John was Dean's father. He was a lot younger but it was definitely him, and Dean thought he might throw up. John knew his dad? Had this all been some kind of trick? To lull him in to a false sense of security? But why? Whatever the reason, Dean knew it wouldn't be good. The thought of John and his Dad working together made him shiver with fear. God, he had been so stupid. He never should have trusted John. He had to get out of here, more importantly he had to get Sam out of here.

He let the picture fall to floor as he rushed back to his and Sam's room, he flew through the door, quickly pulling the duffel bag out from under his bed. "Sammy, I need you to grab your stuff, okay?"

"Dean?" Sam furrowed his brow in confusion. "Dean, what's going on?"

"We gotta go." Dean said, his hands shaking as he frantically stuffed things into the bag. "Right now."

Sam felt is heart start to beat faster. "What? Dean, wait. What happened?"

"Sam, just grab your clothes and whatever other crap you need." Dean ordered.

Dean yanked open one of the drawers, pulling a bunch of clothes out. "Move it, Sam!" he snapped when he saw he brother was still just sat on the bed.

Sam flinched at Dean's harsh tone and his brother quickly knelt down in front of him, cupping Sam's face in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Sammy. I didn't mean to yell at you." Dean whispered, his tone urgent and full of panic. "But I need for you to do as I ask, okay? Something bad has happened and it's not safe for us to stay here anymore, alright?"

"Wh..what happened?" Sam asked, his eyes wide with fear.

"I'll explain everything later but right now we gotta go, okay?"

Sam nodded shakily and moved to do what his brother asked.

Once they had packed what they needed, Dean slung the duffel over his shoulder and as quietly as he could, he led his now trembling brother down the stairs and out the back door.

Mary didn't notice the boys slipping silently out the door but it was impossible not to notice when five minutes later the front door was kicked in. Before Mary had time to react, one of the men who had broken in was holding something over her nose and mouth, and then everything went black.

"Take her to the van." Mick barked as he pulled his gun out from his jacket. "I'll get the boys."

* * *

"Hey John." Andy greeted when he saw his friend walk into garden carrying a six pack of beers. "Glad you could make it, buddy."

"It's good to see you, man" John smiled and handed over the beers, slapping Andy on the back. "I'm afraid I can't stay long, need to get back to Mare and the kids."

"They didn't want to come over?"

"The boys are still a little uncomfortable around people they don't know."

Andy nodded in understanding. "Well, maybe next time."

"Yeah..." John's voice trailed off when he was distracted by the sound of someone laughing loudly. His body instantly stiffen in anger when he saw who it was. _'Thomas Miller.' _"What the hell is he doing here?"

Andy gave an awkward shrug. "He just kinda showed up. I'm guessing one of the guys must have told him about it. You want me to get rid of him?"

John shook his head. "It's fine. Like I said, I ain't staying long anyway."

"You sure?" Andy raised an eyebrow at him. "Cause to be honest, I'm not exactly thrilled he's here myself and I don't have half the history with him that you do."

"Hey Johnny!" Tom's voice suddenly called out and he made his way over. "Long time no see, huh?."

"Tom." John grit out.

Tom took a swig from his beer before fixing John with a smile which looked more like a smirk. "I was hoping you would show up?"

John nodded tightly. "Really."

"Yep. I thought we could have a word in private in, if you don't mind."

John laughed humourlessly. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"Oh trust me, Johnny." Tom said, smugly. "You're gonna want to hear this."

Tom walked away, and cursing under his breath, John muttered an excuse me to Andy before following Tom.

"So, what the hell's so important?" John snapped once they were outside Andy's house.

"How's the wife?" Tom asked as he leant casually up against a car.

"What do you want, Tom?" John growled, his patience wearing thin.

"Heard you just took in a couple of kids. How's that working out?"

"Okay, you had your chance. I'm outta here." John turned to walk away.

"Dean and Sam, right?" Tom called after him and John froze, swinging back round to face him. "Fourteen and ten years old? Dean's a real firecracker when it comes to protecting Sammy, isn't he?"

"How the hell do you know all that?" John hissed.

"Why wouldn't I know?" Tom smirked. "Aren't those the kind of things a father should know about his kids?"

"Your what?" John spluttered, his eyes widening in shock.

"My kids, John." Tom chuckled. "Dean and Sam are my boys, and I want them back."

John shook his head. "You're crazy. I've read Dean and Sam's file their surname is Harrison. Their father's surname is Harrison."

Tom stuck his hand. "Thomas Harrison. It's nice to meet you." Tom laughed at the look on John's face. "I decided to change my name a few years back. Didn't really want to keep Miller after...well I'm sure you remember, don't ya, buddy?"

"I'm not your buddy." John snarled, grabbing Tom roughly by his jacket. "And if you ever come near Dean or Sam again, I swear I'll tear you apart."

"You're gonna want to be letting me go." Tom said.

"And why would I want do that?"

"Because right about now, Mick and few of my other buddies are breaking into your house and gathering up your new family." Tom grinned. "And if you ever want to see that lovely wife of yours again then you are going to do what I say."

"You son of a bitch!" John spat.

Tom waved a finger in front of John's face. "Now, now, Johnny, I really don't care for that kind of language." He shrugged out of John's hold. "You know at first I just wanted to find a way to get the boys back, but then when I found out they were staying with Corporal John Winchester, well I just couldn't let an opportunity like that slide by."

"I swear if you've hurt any of them then I..."

"Just get in the car, John." Tom ordered, opening the passenger's side door.

When John didn't move, Tom pushed his jacket aside so that John could clearly see the gun tucked in his waistband. "I said get in the car."

Tom smirked happily when John compiled and he was just about to get in the driver's side when his cell rang. "Mick?" he said, answering the phone but still keeping a close eye on John inside the car.

"Yeah, it's me." Mick replied. "Listen, we have a problem. I'm at the Winchesters. We have the wife, but Tom, the boys ain't here."

"What do you mean they aren't there?" Tom hissed. "Where the fuck are they?"

"I don't know. There was a broken picture frame in the bedroom. It was of you, John and the others in the marines." Mick explained. "I'm guessing Dean saw it, freaked, grabbed his little brat of a brother and ran."

"Well they can't have gotten far." Tom snapped. "Find them. I'll bring John to the agreed location, meet me there."

Tom flipped his cell phone shut, got into the car and sped off.

**TBC**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N 1**:- Thank you again to everyone who has shown their support and helped me with this story. :) It really means a lot to me and I cannot thank you all enough. :)

**A/N 2**:- This chapter just didn't want to be written! I had so much trouble getting things to flow right and I ended up re-writing certain parts so many times. I'm still not 100% happy with it but I think it's as good as I am going to get it for now. :) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it and that it doesn't disappoint too much. :)

**Chapter Twelve.**

"You can't honestly think you're going to get away with this." John growled, testing the give in the ropes that had him tied down to the chair. There wasn't any, not that John was really expecting there to be. Tom was once a marine after all but John had hoped that maybe he'd gotten sloppy. He hadn't. The ropes were solid. There was no way John could wriggle his way out of them.

"Oh, I don't think I'm going to get away with it." Tom said smugly. "I know I am."

"People are going to realise I'm missing." John replied. "Social services are going to realise the boys are missing. There's gonna be a hell of a lot of people looking for us."

"You'll be dead before they find you." Tom smirked. "And the boys will be back where they belong. As for your wife, I haven't decided what I'm gonna do with her yet. Might keep her around for a while, have some fun."

"You keep your filthy hands off her." John warned through clenched teeth.

Tom chuckled. "You're really not in position to be giving orders anymore, Corporal."

John's eyes flashed furiously. "I swear Tom; if you lay a hand on any of them, I will kill you."

"Look Johnny, you brought this all on yourself." Tom replied, taking a seat on top of a desk. "You deserve to pay for what you did to me."

"I didn't do anything to you." John snapped.

Tom lunged at John, hitting him on the side of his head with the butt of his gun. "You ruined my life." He spat. "You got me dishonourably discharged."

John ignored the blood trickling down his head and stared up at Tom. "You got three men killed."

"That was an accident."

John scoffed. "Accident? You disobeyed a direct order. Twice."

"And you just couldn't to wait to report me." Tom sneered. "It was just a stupid mistake and if you had just kept your mouth shut then no one would have ever known."

"Your mistake ended three lives." John shouted. "Their families deserved to know the truth."

"You ended my fuckin career."

"No. I just told truth." John stated. "The general court marshall ended your career."

"Which would never have happened if you hadn't opened your big mouth." Tom hissed. "And since you ruined my life it's only fair that I get ruin yours."

John rolled his eyes. "Jesus, are you really that immature? What are you twelve?"

Tom was about to bring the gun down on John again when the sound of car pulling up diverted his attention. "Perfect." he grinned. "That'll be the rest of our guests."

"Don't go anywhere, Johnny." Tom chuckled. "I'll be right back."

* * *

"What do you mean you couldn't find them?" Tom snapped.

"Exactly what I just said." Mick replied, dropping Mary's unconscious form down onto the couch. "I looked but they weren't anywhere close by."

"God, you're useless."

"Hey!" Mick protested.

"I'll find 'em myself." Tom huffed. "Get her secured before she wakes up."

Mick poured himself a glass of whiskey. "You know I really don't like this whole ordering me around thing you've got going on."

"Just do it." Tom barked and grabbing the car keys, he stormed out. There was no way he was going to let Dean and Sam just disappear.

* * *

"Mary!" John struggled against the ropes when he saw Mick walk through the door with Mary slumped in his arms. "If you've hurt her I'll..."

"Take it easy, Winchester." Mick snorted. "She's fine. Just taking a nap."

Mick placed her on the floor behind John and taking her hands, he handcuffed her to the radiator pipe. "Hey sweetheart," he tapped the side of her face. "Wakey, wakey."

John stretched his neck to try and see behind him as much as he could. "Hey! Get your fucking hands off her."

"Relax." Mick laughed, coming to stand in front of John. "She really isn't my type. I'll have my fun once my nephew gets here."

"You're a sick son of you bitch, you know that?" John snarled.

"As matter of fact I do." Mick chuckled. "Catch ya later, Johnny."

John felt anger and revulsion coarse through as he watched Mick leave, whistling happily as he locked the door behind him.

"Mary?" John called. "Mary? Mary, wake up baby."

Mary groaned as consciousness slowly crept back in. "Ugh." She felt like she'd been asleep for a week. She blinked trying to clear the fog from her mind. Her eyes felt gritty and she went to lift her hands to rub them, which is when she realised she was handcuffed. _What the..._ She pulled against them causing the metal to clang on the radiator pipe.

"Hey, hey, Mare. You back with me, baby? Mare?"

John's voice finally made it's way through Mary's cloudy mind and when she looked around, she found him tied to a chair. "John?"

"Yeah, it's me." John replied, relieved to hear her voice. "You okay? You hurt?"

"I don't think so." Mary answered still disorientated. "What's going on?"

"Just stay calm, okay." John said, trying to keep his tone steady and strong, "I'm going to get us out of this."

"What...what happened?"

"We've been kidnapped." John explained, gently. "By Dean and Sam's dad and uncle."

Mary eyes went wide, her heat starting pound in her chest. "Oh god. The boys? Where are they? Are they okay?"

"From what I've overheard, I don't think there here." John replied. "I think they ran off before Mick could get them."

"We need to get out of here John. We need to help them."

"I swear I'll find way get us out of here." John promised. "And we'll find the boys."

"Where are we?"

"Some old house in the middle of freakin nowhere."

Mary glanced around the room. They seemed to be in some sort office. "What do they want?"

"The boys back." John was silent for a few moments before adding, "And revenge?"

Mary raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Revenge."

John nodded. "I know Dean and Sam's dad. I was in the marines with him."

"What?" Mary exclaimed. "Why the hell didn't you say something before?"

"I didn't know it was him. His name used to be Thomas Miller. He apparently changed it to Harrison when he got kicked out the marines." John explained. "He blames me for him having to leave the marines and when he found out we had the boys, he decided it would good chance for him to get his own back."

Mary couldn't see much of John's face from where she was, but she did catch a glimpse of something red on the side of his head. "John, what happened? You're bleeding."

"I'm fine." He assured, quickly. "It's nothing serious."

Mary shook her head. "I can't believe this is happening."

"It's gonna be okay, Mary. I promise." John really hoped he wasn't lying.

* * *

"This should do for now." Dean said and he dropped the duffel bag down on the floor of the abandoned house they had broken into.

Sam sighed deeply as he slid down on to the cold ground. He sniffled, using the back of his sleeve to wipe at his teary eyes.

"It's only for tonight, kiddo" Dean sat down next to him, throwing a comforting arm over his brother's shoulders. "I promise I'll find us somewhere better tomorrow."

"I just don't understand." Sam said, sadly. "I was honestly starting to think that John and Mary might be good people."

Dean sighed. He remembered all too clearly the devastated look on Sam's face when he had told his brother that John knew their dad. "I know but don't worry, okay? Because I'm gonna take care of you. I'm not going to let any thing bad happen to you."

Sam rested his head against Dean's shoulder. "What we gonna do about money? And food?"

"I'll figure something out."

"But..." Sam voice trailed off and Dean felt his body tense.

"Sam?"

"I..." Sam tried to get the words out, but the all too familiar feeling of electricity shooting through his brain wouldn't let him, and before he knew it he slumped forwards, his body convulsing.

"Sammy!" Dean lowered him carefully to the floor, wincing when his brother cried out in pain at the touch, the windows rattling slightly. As soon as Sam was safely on the floor, Dean removed his hands and shrugged out of his jacket, shoving it under his brother's head to prevent it from slamming against the hard ground.

"It's okay, Sammy," he whispered, hating how useless he felt when Sam was caught in one of his visions. "It's gonna be alright. It'll be over soon, Sammy. Just hang on. It's okay."

Dean bit down hard on his lip, counting the seconds until finally his brother's body stilled. "Sammy?" he quickly gathered him up into his arms, smoothing back his bangs. "Sammy, you with me?"

"D'n?" Sam slurred, his eyes blinking open.

"I'm here, kiddo. I'm here." Dean whispered. "You're alright."

Sam stared up at Dean in confusion for a few moments before he suddenly gasped and began struggling to get up.

Dean immediately grabbed a hold of his brother's shoulders. "Whoa, Whoa. Hey, take it easy, Sammy."

Sam fought against Dean's hold in what looked like blind panic. "No...I...no...saw...I..."

Dean frowned in concern. "Sam, stop it. Just calm down. It's okay..."

"I...Ma..." Sam began gasping, drawing in air much too fast.

"Shhh." Dean soothed, cupping Sam's face in his hand. "Look at me, Sammy. It's alright. Just breathe, okay? Just breathe."

Dean breathed in and out with Sam, coaching his breathing until finally it evened back out. "That's it, Sammy. Just take it nice and slow. I'm here. It's alright."

"Dean," Sam breathed. "I saw...I saw Mary and John."

"What?"

"In my vision." Sam said, his voice shaky. "I saw them...I saw them die, Dean. Dad's going to kill them."

Dean furrowed his brow." But they're working with dad."

Sam shook his head. "They were tied up. I could feel their anger and fear towards dad. They're not working with him."

"I saw the picture of them. John knew him and he didn't say anything."

"All I know is what I felt and I felt how scared and confused they were." Sam looked pleadingly up at Dean. "Dean, we gotta help them."

"Sam..."

"No, Dean." Sam said, his tone urgent and panicked, and his breathing beginning to pick up again. "We have to help them or dad's gonna kill them."

Dean ran his hands soothingly up and down Sam's arms. "Alright, alright, just calm down, okay? Tell me what you saw."

"They were tied up in a room. John and dad were arguing and then dad raised his gun to John's head and pulled the trigger." Sam shivered, his eyes taking on a glassy, frightened look as he recalled the vision. "Mary was next...he...he...slit her throat with a knife..."

"Shhh, you're doing good, Sam." Dean whispered. "Can you remember anything else about the room? Where it was?"

"I think it was an office in a house." Sam answered. "But I'm not sure where the house was."

Dean nodded, not liking how pale and clammy his little brother looked. "Come on, Sammy. You need to lie down and rest now."

"No." Sam protested, firmly. "We gotta help 'em, Dean."

"I know but an office in a house is not a lot to go on, Sam." Dean said. "So, I want you to get some rest and I promise I'll look into, okay? See if I can find out where the house might be?"

"I think I can help with that."

Both Dean and Sam froze. An icy fear filling every inch of them as they turn towards the owner the voice and came face to face with their father and a gun.

"Hello boys." Tom grinned. "Miss me?"

* * *

"Look what I found." Tom announced gleefully as he dragged Sam by the arm into the room where John and Mary were being held. Mick was right behind him with Dean in his grasp.

"Let them go." John demanded. He could see the terror in the boys eyes and Sam was visibly shaking.

"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen." Tom snorted, squeezing Sam's arm tighter and making him whimper in pain.

"Hey!" John snapped at the same time Dean yelled, "Leave him alone."

"He's my son." Tom sneered, increasing his grip once more. "I can do whatever the hell I want to him."

"How can you do this to them?" John snarled. "I mean it's one thing to want revenge on me, but Christ, Tom these are your kids. You're flesh and blood. How can you hurt them like this?"

"Because I'm their father. I get to decide what's best for them."

"No, you're not." Dean mumbled.

Tom glared over at Dean. "You say something, Dean?"

"I said you're not our father." Dean's voice trembled as he spoke but he held his dad's gaze. "You stopped being our father the day mom died."

Tom smiled. "Is that so?"

"John's been more of a father to us in one month than you have in our entire lives."

Tom raised his hand and slapped Sam hard across his face, splitting his lip.

"Stop it!" Mary cried. "He's just a child."

Dean's lips curled up into a snarl and he tried to move to his brother but Mick held him back.

"Anything else to say, Dean?" Tom asked with a smirk.

"I kinda hope he does keep talking." Mick slid his hand down the side of Dean's face and his arm, caressing his skin. "It will just add to his punishment later."

John felt sick as he watched Mick touch Dean and saw the poor boy cringe away from him in disgust and fear. "Dean it's okay, buddy. I'm gonna find a way to get us out of here."

Tom laughed. "Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, Johnny."

"Well as much and Dean and I would love to stay chatting, we've got a lot of catching up to do." Mick said, his tone cold and cruel.

Tom nodded. "Do whatever you need to do. I'll take care of the little brat."

"No!" Dean screamed as Mick began dragging him out the room. "Leave him alone. Sammy!"

"Dean!" Sam sobbed after him but it was no use. "Please dad, I'm sorry. Please, don't hurt Dean, please..."

"Shut up." Tom yelled. "Now, say goodbye to John and Mary, cause this is last time you're ever gonna see them."

"Tom, stop this." John shouted and he pulled against the ropes, willing them to come loose but they held firm, and John was forced to watch on as Tom dragged Sam out of the room. "Fuck," he cursed, sagging back down into the chair. He had to find a way to get them all out of here and fast.

* * *

"Where's Sam?" Dean demanded, struggling to escape Mick's hold. "I wanna see Sam."

"Your father's taken him to the bedroom." Mick said, a snide grin on his face. "He's been a very bad boy."

"Sam!" Dean yelled out desperately and he pushed against Mick's chest, trying to shove him away. "Let go of me. Sammy!"

"I just love it when you fight me, Dean." Mick whispered into his ear. "It's makes it so much better when you break."

"Please." Dean sobbed. "Let me go."

"There are so many people who have missed you, Dean." Mick ran his hand over Dean's hip. "Gonna have to make sure your all nice and ready for them. Can't have you fighting them, can we? That would be bad for business."

* * *

John eyes snapped back to the door at the sound of the lock being opened. Fear and red hot fury flooded through him when he saw Mick drag a now broken, bloody and half unconscious Dean into the room, dumping him unceremoniously to floor."Dean!"

"Oh my god." Mary cried and John could once again hear the clanging of the handcuffs as she pulled against her restraints.

"What the hell did you do?" John demanded, his eyes fixated on Dean, who had curled in on himself and was lying worryingly still on the cold floor.

"Nothing he didn't deserve." Mick grinned, looking proudly down at the unconscious form. "Just relieving the good old times, weren't we Deano?" Raising his foot, he landed a hard kick in the centre of Dean's stomach.

"Hey!" John shouted. "Leave him alone."

Mick chuckled, bending down to whisper in Dean's ear. "I'll be back for round two soon."

John increased his struggles against his bonds, feeling the rope cutting into to his skin. "I said leave him the fuck alone."

Mick stood back up, giving John a smug look. "Yeah and just what are you gonna do about it?"

"I'm going to tear you apart, you sick bastard." John spat.

Mick snorted. "Sure you are."

John watched, his breath coming in out in angry, frustrated puffs as Mick strolled back out the room, locking the door behind him. The sound of Mick happy whistling only fuelled John's anger.

Dean still hadn't moved from his position on the floor. His face was covered in blood and bruises, his left eye almost swollen shut and John could hear how harsh and pained his breathing was. "Dean? Dean, can you hear me?"

"Dean?" John repeated more urgently, alarmed by Dean's lack of response. "Dean? Come on, kiddo, answer me."

"M'here." Dean groaned, coughing pathetically and John became even more concerned when he saw Dean was coughing up droplets of blood.

"Dean, it's gonna be alright, you hear me? I'm gonna get us out of here." John said desperately. "Just hang on, okay?"

Dean moaned in pain as he attempted to stand but he only made it a few steps before he collapsed back down to the floor.

"Dean, just stay still buddy."

"S'okay" Dean whispered weakly and he began to crawl painfully towards Mary.

"Dean," Mary said gently when he reached her. "You're hurt, just lie still sweetie."

Dean shook his head and Mary's eyes widen in surprised when he opened one of his bloody hands to reveal a set of handcuff keys.

"Mick never pays attention during sex." Dean slurred as he set about trying to fit the key in the lock, but the blood covering his fingers made everything slippery.

Mary felt stomach turned at Dean's words. "Dean," she breathed, sadly.

"S'okay." Dean finally managed to unlock the handcuffs and Mary hissed as the circulation returned to her hands.

"Find Sammy." Dean whimpered then passed out, collapsing into Mary's arms.

"Dean!"

"Mare, he alright?" John asked, straining his neck to try and see as far behind him as possible.

"He's breathing." Mary said, her fingers pressed to his neck not liking the racing pulse she found there. "We need to get him to a hospital." Laying Dean carefully down on the floor, she quickly made her way over to John and started pulling on the ropes, trying to get them to loosen. "Dammit!"

"What is it?"

"They're tied to tight. I'm gonna need a knife or something to get them off." Mary started searching round the room for something she could use but there was nothing.

She froze when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Damm. Mick was back.

"Fuck." John hissed, struggling uselessly against his bonds as he desperately tried to work the ropes loose.

Mary frantically scanned the room for something she could use a weapon. Seeing a lamp on the table, she ripped off the shade and holding the base tightly in her hands, she plastered herself flat against the wall by the door.

"Mary, what the hell are doing?" John whispered, his tone urgent and panicked. There was no way Mary was going to be able to fight Mick.

"It's okay."

As the lock clicked opened, Mary took deep breaths, trying to keep her rocketing heart rate under control and her hands steady. It had been a while but she could do this. She could fight.

Mick's eyes widened when he the door swung open and he saw that Mary was no longer handcuffed to the radiator. "What the..."

Mary moved fast and a quick, hard kick to the stomach cut Mick off mid sentence. He growled, reaching into his jacket but just as he raised his gun, Mary slammed the base of the lamp down hard on his wrist. With a cry of pain Mick dropped the gun to the floor and Mary quickly kicked it out of reach before landing a well timed punch to his head.

Mick snarled and lunged, a fist aimed directly at her face but she moved at the last moment causing Mick to lose his balance and topple to the floor, but he was able to grab her arm taking her down with him.

"You little bitch." Mick spat as he finally managed to pin her to floor. "You're gonna pay for that."

Mick closed his fingers around her throat but Mary raised her knee and shoved it hard into his chest, pushing him away. He saw her hand reaching out for the lamp base again and he smirked, pulling out a knife.

"I don't think so sweetheart." He growled and swung the knife towards her, surprised when Mary easily dodged the attack and in one swift, perfectly executed move she grabbed a hold of his wrist, twisted it and plunged the knife into his own chest.

Mick gasped in shock as he slumped backwards to the floor. Mary's face loomed over him and she smiled grimly. "I hope you rot in hell," she hissed. "You perverted son of a bitch."

Mary watched as the life drained out of Mick before pulling the knife back out and turning her attention to John, who was sat staring at her in undisguised shock.

"Mare, you alright?" John asked as Mary set about cutting him free. "And how the hell did you do that?"

"I'm fine and I don't know." Mary replied, releasing the last of the ropes and tossing them to the side. "Freak adrenaline thing, I guess."

John stood back up, grabbing a hold of Mary's shoulders and looking her up and down, his brow furrowed in concern. "Are you sure you're okay? He didn't hurt you?"

Mary shook her head, giving him a small smile. "I'm fine, John."

They both turned round when Dean made a small groaning sound, and John saw that he was conscious again.

"Hey kiddo." John said, carefully placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're gonna be okay, alright? We're gonna get you out of here. Just hang on a little bit longer for me."

Dean nodded, trying to bite back the whimpers of pain when John gently gathered him up into his arms. "Dude," he said in between ragged breaths, "Your wife can seriously kick ass."

"So it would it seem." John smiled. "Okay, let's get you out of here."

"Sammy." Dean whispered, his hand curling into John's shirt with as much strength as he had. "Please...gotta...dad..."

"Shhh," John soothed, "We'll find him, Dean. I promise."

"You gonna be okay with that?" John asked when Mary picked Mick's gun up off the floor.

"My father taught me how to shoot. I still remember." Mary assured.

John nodded. "Just stay close, alright?"

"Bedroom." Dean rasped out as John carried him out of the room they had been imprisoned in and through into the living room. "Dad...took...Sam..."

"Shhh, It's okay, Dean. I'll find him, I promise." John gently lowered him down on the couch. "Just stay here with Mary. I'll go get Sam."

Mary handed the gun over to John. "Be careful."

John nodded and as silently as he could he made his way upstairs. As he reached the top he could hear distressed keening noises coming from one of the bedrooms, and taking a deep breath he burst through the door, gun raised and ready. He was not prepared for the sight that met him.

"Jesus!" he hissed, staring down at the body in front of him.

Tom was sprawled out on the floor, blood pooled all around him. His neck was bent at an unnatural angle and his throat had been slit, along with both of his wrists. How the hell had this happened? It's not that John was sorry he was dead, he was planning on killing the bastard himself anyway but obviously someone had beat him to it, but who?

John's eyes quickly scanned the room but there were no signs of anyone else being there expect for the soft whimpering sounds coming from under the bed, which John instantly recognised as coming from Sam.

"Sam!" He hurried over to the bed, crouching down to peer underneath it. Sam was hidden there, curled into a ball as violent tremors racked his small frame. As soon he saw John, he started making continuous mewling noises. "Hey buddy, it's okay now. It's just me, it's John. You're safe now."

John gently reached under the bed to pull him out but the second he touched him, Sam started screaming and he tried to scramble further away.

"Hey, hey, shhh Sam, shhh. It's alright, buddy. I'm not gonna hurt you." John kept his voice low and comforting as he once again reached out for Sam, this time making contact and despite the frightened kid's cries and struggles, John was able to pull him out and into his arms.

Sam's limbs lashed out wildly as he tried to escape John's hold but John just held him closer, whispering soothing nonsense into his ear until finally he began to calm down, his body going limp. "That's it kiddo, just relax. You're safe now. Nothing's gonna hurt you. You're safe. I gotcha."

John looked Sam up and down, checking for injuries and apart from a few nasty looking bruises on his face, he thankfully seemed physically unharmed. "Hey buddy, you with me?" John cupped his cheek gently, trying to get him to make eye contact. "Sam?"

"Dean." Sam sobbed in response, his eyes glassy and unfocused. "Dean."

"Alright kiddo, let's go see Dean." John adjusted Sam more securely in his arms and stood up. The second Sam saw his dad's body, John felt him go stiff with fear and his shivering increased.

"I didn't kill him. I didn't kill him. I didn't kill him." Sam babbled hysterically, shaking his head rapidly from side to side.

"Hush Sam, It's alright. Just don't look, bud. Don't look." John soothed, using his body to shield Sam from his dad's bloody body as he hurried him out the room and back downstairs to Mary and Dean.

Once John had brought Sam downstairs, he went back to search Mick and Tom's bodies and he breathed a sigh of relief when he found car keys in Tom's pocket.

He quickly gathered everyone up and after he and Mary had carefully bundled the boys into the back of the car he drove off in search of the nearest hospital.

"How they doing?" John said as he sped down the road.

Mary once again glanced round check on the boys and she didn't like what she saw one bit. Dean had passed out again and was lying across the back seat, making harsh, wet panting sounds. Sam was sat next to him in some kind of semi catatonic state, just rocking back and forth as he continued with his mantra of, "I didn't kill him," and "Dean, help me." Worryingly, he appeared to be that out of it that he didn't even seem to realise his brother was right next to him.

She swallowed hard. "Drive faster."

John took one look at her face and floored it.

**TBC**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N 1:-** Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. My laptop charger decided to blow up and I had to wait 4 days for a new one to be delivered. :( I was slowly going crazy without my computer for that long. I suffer from insomnia and found myself so bored at night without my trusty laptop. :(

**A/N 2:-** Thank you so much to those of you who have read and reviewed this story. :) I am so grateful for all your support. :) Hope you enjoy the new chapter. :)

**Chapter Thirteen.**

By the time John raced into the ER shouting for help, Dean was lying limp in his arms, his breathing was worryingly shallow. Within seconds they were surrounded by medical personnel and Dean was being taken from John and rushed away on a gurney.

This seemed to snap Sam out of his catatonia and he began screaming. He lunged forward, trying to follow his brother and when John reached out to stop him, he spun around, hitting his fists against John's chest as he tried to escape.

"Dean!" Sam wailed, struggling furiously against the arms that were holding him back. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. He had no idea where he was and he surrounded by people he didn't know. All his mind was able to register was that Dean was being taken away.

"Mary, go with Dean. I'll take of Sam." John tightened his hold on Sam but was careful not to hurt him.

Mary nodded, tears glistening her eyes as she followed Dean's doctors.

"Sam, calm down buddy. It' alright." John tried to make eye contact with Sam but Sam's gaze was flying wildly around, never settling on anything. "Sam, listen to me. It's okay. Come on, Kiddo. Shhh."

Sam made a wounded noise in the back of his throat as he increased his fight to get away. He had to get to Dean. He needed Dean.

"Sam, stop it. You gotta calm down." John's voice was firm but still gentle. "Sam, look at me. I need you to look at me."

Sam's eyes finally snapped to meet his and John winced at the absolute terror and confusion in them. "Sam, listen to me, okay? You're safe here. Dean's safe here. The doctors need to help him but I promise he's going be alright. No one is going to hurt either of you. I'm here and I won't let that happen, understand?"

Sam's heart was beating so hard that it made his chest hurt. It felt like there wasn't enough air and his head was spinning. His gaze shot around the room and his fear increased when he realised everyone was looking at him, but he didn't recognise any of them. He heard his name being called and he finally focused on the person who was holding him. John. A small amount of relief flooded him. He knew John. John wasn't Dean, he wasn't safety but he wasn't danger either and right now he was the only thing that was familiar.

Sam exhaled shakily and stopped fighting John's hold, burrowing himself into John's chest instead. "De," he sobbed. "De."

"I know, buddy." John rubbed a hand soothingly up and down his back. "I know."

"Sir, we need to get him into a treatment room." A nurse said and she gestured for them to follow her.

John nodded and once Sam's shaking had eased slightly, he guided him gently into the room.

"Okay, Sam." The nurse smiled kindly. "Why don't you get yourself settled up on the bed and I'll go get your doctor, alright?"

Sam remained silent. His wide, frightened eyes darted around the room and he had a death grip on John's arm.

"Thank you" John nodded at the nurse and she gave him a sympathetic look before leaving.

"Alright kiddo," John said, keeping his voice low and calm. "Let's get you sat up on the bed, okay?"

Sam was completely pliant and let John help him get settled on the bed, but he still didn't say anything. When John tried to take a step back to sit in the chair by the bed, Sam let out a distressed whimper and grabbed a hold of John's arm, tugging on it until John sat down beside him on the bed.

"It's okay, Sam." John carefully wrapped an arm round Sam's shoulder, pleased when he felt him lean into the touch. "You're safe now, okay? Everything's going to be alright."

Sam shook his head. He wasn't safe. None of them were. "Never be safe."

"You're safe, Sam." John promised. "Your dad and uncle can't hurt you or Dean ever again. You're safe."

At the mention of his dad, Sam froze and his trembling increased again. "I didn't...I didn't...I didn't kill him."

"Shhh, Sam." John frowned; not liking how Sam's breathing was speeding up. "It's okay. Just take it easy, kiddo."

"I...I...didn't..."

"Sam, look at me." John gently lifted Sam's head up to meet his gaze. Sam's eyes were full of fear and panic. "I need you to listen to me, okay? Whatever happened in that room with your dad, it wasn't your fault. Whatever you did or didn't do, it's okay. You did nothing wrong."

"Dad...he was gonna...and...but it...I didn't..." Sam stuttered in between ragged breaths.

"Shhh, calm down buddy." John pulled Sam closer to him. "It's alright. We don't have to talk about this now. Just relax and breathe. Shhh, it's alright."

Sam lay back against John, his head resting on John's shoulder as he tried to control his breathing.

"There you go. That's it." John encouraged, rubbing comforting circles across Sam's chest. "Deep breaths. You're okay."

John had to admit that he was really curious about what had happened in the bedroom, and how Tom had ended up dead but he knew that whatever the hell had happened, Sam was in no condition to talk about it yet.

Thankfully by the time doctor made her way into the room, Sam had somewhat calmed down and was resting back against John.

"Hello Sam." The doctor smiled. "I'm Dr. Lewis and I'm going to be looking after you while you're here." She could see how scared her patient was and she kept her tone soft and coaxing, approaching the bed slowly. "I would like to start by taking a look at your head and face if that's okay with you?"

Sam didn't answer but he did tighten his grip on John's arm.

"It's okay, Sam." John assured. "I'm not going anywhere, kid."

Sam sat rigid in John's arms as the doctor completed her examination. He flinched when she touched a painful looking bruise on his cheek and he dug his fingers harder into John's arm, his fingernails leaving small indents on the skin.

"Shhh, I'm here." John soothed. "You're doing really good, Sam."

"Okay Sam." Dr. Lewis said, removing her hands from him and writing something down on Sam's hospital chart. "I don't think anything is broken but I'd like to get an X-ray of that cheek just to be on the safe side."

Sam shook his head. He wasn't exactly sure what an X-ray entailed but he didn't like the sound of it. "I don't want an X-ray."

"It's alright, Sam." John assured. "I'll stay with you when you have the X-ray. You won't have to be alone."

"I want to see Dean." Sam sniffled. "Please. Please, let me see him."

Dr. Lewis smiled softly at him. "His doctors are still treating him. I promise that you can see him soon, okay?"

Sam wanted to say no. It wasn't okay and that he wanted to see his brother now but he knew it wouldn't do any good, so he just nodded sadly.

"As soon as the doctors have Dean settled, I'll make sure you're taken straight to him." Dr. Lewis assured. "Now, I need to know if you're hurting anywhere else?"

Sam shook his head.

"Sam, it's important to tell the doctor the truth." John said, gently. "If you're hurt anywhere then you need to let the doctor know, okay? You don't have to be frightened. No one here is going to do anything you don't want them to."

"I'm telling the truth, John. I swear I am." Sam looked up at John, his eyes pleading to be believed.

"Okay, Sam. It's okay. I believe you, kiddo."

"Right, well I want you to get some rest Sam and I'll have someone come and get you when it's time to go to X-ray." Dr. Lewis gave him a kind smile before putting on a clean pair of gloves and turning her attention to John. "Okay, Mr Winchester, it's your turn?"

John raised his eyebrow. "My turn?"

Dr. Lewis tapped the side of her head. "You appear to have a head wound that needs to be checked."

Sam eyes widened as he noticed the dried blood on the side of John's face. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine, Sam." Honestly with everything that had happened John had completely forgotten about the injury. He could barely even feel it anymore. "It's just a scratch. Doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Then you won't mind me taking a look at it." Dr. Lewis said as she began her examination. "It's not too deep but you will need a few sutures to help it close."

John nodded and Dr. Lewis set about stitching up the wound. He winced when the needle threaded through a particularly sore bit of skin but he was pleasantly surprised when he felt Sam begin to stroke his arm softly. Sam was trying to comfort him and John smiled, gently holding Sam closer to him. They would all be okay now. John was going to make sure of it.

"Alright, Mr Winchester all finished." Dr. Lewis stepped back, gathering up her tray of medical supplies. "The stitches are the dissolvable kind, so you won't need to come back in to have them removed."

"Thank you."

"No problem." Dr. Lewis gestured towards the door. "Would it be okay if I have a word with you outside for moment?"

John felt Sam immediately tense up. "Shhh, it's okay. I won't be far. I'll just be right outside the door, okay?"

Sam nodded reluctantly and released his hold on John so he could ease his way out the bed and follow Dr. Lewis outside.

"I'll be right back." John assured, closing the door behind him.

The instant the door shut, fear flooded back through Sam and he shivered. He was alone. He didn't want to be alone. It wasn't safe. The room began spinning and he closed his eyes against the sensation, but the darkness was anything but soothing and all Sam could hear was his father's voice.

_"This is all because of you, Sam."_

_"You killed your mother. Your brother is going to die and it will be your fault."_

_"I should have snapped your neck the moment you were born."_

_"You're evil Sam and I'm going to make sure you pay for what you've done."_

Sam opened his eyes, shaking his head rapidly to try and stop the cruel voice. He made a choked, frightened sound when he saw the image of his dad stood in front of him. Blood was gushing from his neck and wrists, and his eyes were staring down at Sam in pure hatred and anger. He knew it wasn't real. His dad was dead but that didn't make it any less terrifying and Sam slid of his bed and scrambled underneath it to escape the horrific image. He curled himself into the smallest ball he could and rocked himself back and forth.

* * *

"What is it?" John asked as he joined Dr. Lewis outside.

"I just wanted to inform you that the police and social services are on their way."

John sighed. He knew that Sam would panic the second he saw the police. "I'll speak to them but I don't want the police talking to Sam just yet. He's still too traumatized."

"I agree." Dr. Lewis nodded. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that the police know that neither Sam nor Dean are medically well enough to be interviewed yet."

"Thank you."

"Your welcome." Dr. Lewis patted him on the arm. "Go take care of Sam and I'll get an update on Dean for you."

John thanked her again before walking back into Sam's room. He felt panic fill him for a moment when he saw the empty bed but the whimpering sounds quickly led him to the huddled form under it.

"Sam?" John crouched down bedside the bed. "Sam, what's wrong?"

Sam didn't seem to hear him and just continued to tremble and rock. "Hey Sam, look at me kiddo. Sam?" When Sam finally made eye contact, John smiled gently and slowly extended his arms out. "C'mere buddy. It's okay."

Sam shook his head. "Make him go away."

"Make who go away Sam?"

"My dad." Sam whispered. "Please John, make him go away. Please."

John frowned in concern. "Sam, it's alright. Your dad's not here. He's gone and he can't ever hurt you again. You're safe, Sam."

"H..He's not...out there?" Sam stammered.

"There's no one here but you and me ." John assured and once again reached his arms out. "Come on, kiddo. You can come out, it's safe now."

Sam scrambled out from his hiding place and threw himself into John's arms, clinging desperately to him as his eyes frantically scanned the room for the bloody image of his dad. He let out a shaky breath of relief when he saw the room was empty.

"Shhh, Sam." John soothed, stroking up and down the kid's back in an attempt to stop his shivering. "You're okay. Shhh."

Sam buried his head into John's neck. "Please don't leave me, please don't leave me."

"Shhh, I won't. I'm not going anywhere, alright? I'm gonna stay right here with you." John whispered and he carefully lifted Sam back up onto the bed.

Sam kept a firm grip on John's shirt, not giving the man any other option but to lie down on the bed with him. "Don't leave, don't leave."

"Hush Sam." John gently ran his fingers through Sam's hair. "I'm not leaving. I promise. Just relax, buddy."

Sam closed his eyes as John continued to stroke his hair. It wasn't the same as having Dean do it but it felt nice and safe, and Sam let the sensations lull him to sleep.

* * *

Three hours later and John was reluctantly making his way to talk to the police and social workers. Sam's X-ray had revealed that his cheek was thankfully not broken and afterwards John had taken him to see his brother. Dean was still unconscious, as the doctors were purposefully keeping him sedated to help his body heal. Dean's injuries were numerous and would take some time to heal fully but luckily nothing was life threatening. He did however have three broken ribs that would make moving around painful for a while. Since he'd arrived in the room, Sam hadn't moved from the chair by Dean's bed, and he gripped his brother's hand tightly, whispering constantly to him. John and Mary watched over them both until Dr. Lewis had told John that she couldn't hold the police off any longer.

John took a deep breath before walking into the room Dr. Lewis had directed him too.

"Mr Winchester?" asked one of the police officers when he stepped in to the room.

John held out his hand to the man. "That's me."

The officer returned his handshake. "I'm detective Summers." He gestured at the man stood next to him. "And this is detective Franklin. We'll be handling this case."

John shook detective Franklin's hand before nodding a greeting to Jake and Becca who were both sat on one of the sofas in the room.

Becca smiled over at him and then gestured towards his head. "Are you okay?"

John nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Well, we will try and make this as quick as possible for now." Detective Summers said and indicated for John to take a seat. "If you could just start by giving us your version of events."

John went over everything, starting with his surprise at seeing Tom at Andy's barbeque and ending with rescuing Sam from the bedroom before driving them all out of there as fast as he could.

"And you have no idea how the boys father ended up dead?"

John shook his head. "No, like I said he was already dead when I walked into the room."

"And there was no one else in the room except for Sam and his father?"

"That's right."

"And what condition was Sam in when you found him?"

"He was curled up in a ball under the bed."

"And how did he look?"

"What do you mean how did he look?" John frowned. "How the hell do you think he looked? He looked terrified."

"What about his clothing and hands? Did you see any blood on them?"

John sighed. "Look, I know what you're thinking but there is no way Sam could of killed his dad. I saw Tom's body and even if he had wanted to, Sam wouldn't have had the strength to be able to do something like that."

"Just answer the question please, Mr Winchester."

John gritted his teeth to keep himself from snapping. "No. I didn't see any blood on his hands or his clothes."

"We are going need to speak with Sam."

"Not today you aren't." John informed, fixing the detective with a hard stare. "He isn't up to answering any questions."

"Mr Winchester, I'm sure you understand how important..."

John quickly cut him off. "And I am sure you understand how important it is to follow the doctor's orders. And right now the doctors have deemed both Dean and Sam medically unfit to speak to you."

"Fine." Detective Summers huffed. "But we will need to speak to him as soon as possible."

John forced a polite smile. "Of course."

"We also want to speak with your wife."

"That won't be a problem."

"Okay, well I guess that we are done for now but we will need to question you again later and we will be looking into your past connection with Mr Harrison."

"That's fine..."

"Which is really something you should have informed us of, Mr Winchester?" Jake said, cutting John off.

John's spun round to glare at Jake. "Excuse me?"

"You should of told us you knew the boys father. That you had a past with him." Jake stated.

John chuckled humourlessly. "You've got to be kidding me? You can't really be trying to pin this whole mess on me? I didn't know he was boys the father. If you people had included a picture in the files or a note that he had changed his name then maybe I would have been able to make the connection, but since that didn't happen, I had no freakin clue who he was."

"The real question here isn't why I didn't know who Tom was, it's how the hell did he manage to find where Dean and Sam were in the first place?" John snapped. "Don't you have procedures in place to prevent that sort of thing?"

Jake bristled. "Of course we do."

John snorted. "Yeah, well whatever system you've got in place clearly isn't good enough."

"I can assure that it is be..."

John held up a hand to stop Jake talking. "I swear if you tell me that's it's being looked into one more time I'm not gonna be responsible for my actions."

"Look, let's not get all worked up." Becca interrupted, trying to calm the situation down. "No one is blaming you for anything Mr. Winchester and social services are happy for the boys to remain in your care."

"For the time being." Jake grumbled under his breath and John shot him another glare.

"Well, if we're done here I'd like to get back to Mary and the boys."

Becca smiled. "Of course. We will contact you later to arrange a time for us visit tomorrow to talk some more."

John nodded and he quickly left the room before he did something he might regret, like punching that smug look of Jake's face.

* * *

"Sam sleeping?" John asked when Mary walked back into the living room, and she nodded joining him on the couch.

"He was exhausted. Fell asleep as soon as head hit the pillow."

John smiled, relieved that Sam had gone down easy. Sam had been extremely reluctant to leave the hospital without his brother, but with a lot of coaxing and reassurances that Dean would just be sleeping and that they would be back first thing in morning, John and Mary had been able to convince Sam to return home with them.

"The police called while you were upstairs. They want to come and get your statement tomorrow."

Mary nodded. "What about Sam? They still pushing to talk to him?"

"Yeah." John sighed. "I'll try and hold them off as long as possible, at least until I can get Sam to tell me what happened first."

"How do you think Tom died?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Maybe he had a fight with Mick or something." John replied. "But I do know that there is no way Sam could have killed him."

"I can't believe that this has happened." Mary sighed and wrapped herself in John's arms. "And poor Dean. What that sick monster did to him. It's...how..."

"Shhh," John whispered, placing a soft kiss against her temple. "Dean's gonna get through this. We're gonna take care of him."

Mary took a couple of deep breaths and nodded. "How's your head feeling?"

"It's fine. Just a scratch." John assured. "What about you? How you doing?"

Mary frowned. "Me? I'm fine. I think I'm the only one out of the four of us who didn't end up hurt."

"You may not of been injured but you were still kidnapped and you still ended up having to kill someone. That's gonna have an effect on you."

"That sicko deserved to die." Mary stated. "I don't feel any guilt about killing him."

"Good, I'm glad." John held Mary tighter. "I was so scared of what he was going to do to you when he came through that door. I never knew you could fight like that."

Mary shrugged. "Like I said, it must have been a freak adrenalin thing or something."

The more John thought about it the less he thought that was true. Mary's stance during the fight was almost perfect. She was stood with her legs shoulder width apart, one foot planted in front of the other, so that she could shift her weight between them easily and make her kicks and punches as powerful as possible. That wasn't something that was caused by an adrenalin rush. That was something that came from practice.

"Mary..." John began but was cut off by the sound of screaming coming from upstairs.

* * *

_"Do you know how much trouble you've caused?" his dad snarled and backhanded him hard round the face._

_"This is all your fault, Sam." His father grabbed him by his hair, hauling him across the room. "You destroyed my life. You got your mother killed and you took Dean away from me."_

_"You're evil, Sam." Hands closed around his throat. "I should have snapped your neck the moment you were born. It's time I fixed that mistake."_

_Sam desperately clutched at the hands around his throat, trying to get them loose but it was no use and just as his eyes began to roll back in his head, he was suddenly able to breath again, the crushing pressure was gone and Sam gasped in lungfuls of oxygen._

_"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."_

_"Who the fuck are you?"_

_There's more arguing, more shouting then everything is too bright and too loud. There's so much blood and..._

Sam screamed as he bolted upright in the bed. He gaze shot around the room but it was too dark to see anything. "Dean!" he yelled, but there was no response, no comforting arms wrapping around him and keeping him safe. There was just darkness and terror. He could hear footsteps running up the stairs and trembling in fear, Sam scrambled off the bed and hid underneath it.

By the time John and Mary reached Sam's bedroom the screaming had been replaced by soft cries and whimpers.

"Sam?" Mary called, glancing round the room but not seeing him anywhere.

John knew where he'd find Sam and he quickly crouched down beside the bed, looking under it. "Hey kiddo," he smiled gently. "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

Sam let out a loud keening sound and nodded.

John reached out for him. "C'mere kid, it's okay."

"Dean?" Sam sobbed but he allowed John to pull him out from his hiding place.

"He's at the hospital, remember?" Mary said, softly. "You came back to house with us."

Sam nodded slowly.

"You're okay, Sam." John assured as he carefully placed him back onto the bed. "It was just a dream. You're safe."

"Please, don't leave me alone."

"How about I stay and read to you for awhile?"Mary suggested. "Would you like that?"

Sam sniffled, reaching out for Mary's hand and tugging her down next to him on the bed.

John handed Mary the book from the bedside table. "I'm just gonna go grab a shower, okay baby?"

Mary smiled. "We'll be fine."

"I won't be long." John gave her a quick kiss then ruffled Sam's hair gently. "Get some sleep, kiddo."

"Okay, where did we get to?" Mary said, flicking through the pages of the book to find the right one. "Ah, here we go. You ready, Sam?"

Sam nodded and moved closer to Mary who frowned when she realised how badly Sam was still shaking.

"Hey sweetie, you okay? You're still trembling."

"Just scared." Sam answered his voice small and quiet.

"Did you want to talk about your dream?"

Sam quickly shook his head, his face paling. "No...I...no...please...no..."

"Shhh, it's alright." Mary soothed. "You don't have to. It's okay." She pulled him closer to her. "We can just read, alright?"

Sam nodded and as Mary started reading she felt his body slowly relax and it wasn't long until he fell back to sleep.

"Don't worry, Sam." She whispered, pulling the blankets up around them. "You can sleep. I'll watch over you."

* * *

John rubbed his eyes as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. God, he was tired. "Yes, I'll be right there. Thank you for letting me know."

Hanging up, he pulled on the first set of suitable clothes he could find and made his way to Sam's room. Mary was asleep in the bed but Sam was no where to be seen. Sighing, he knelt down and peered under the bed. Yep, there he was. Curled up into a ball and fast asleep.

"Sam," he breathed, sadly. "You gotta stay in bed, buddy."

John carefully gathered him up and placed back in the bed with Mary. Sam didn't wake but he did snuggle into Mary's arms once John had put him down.

"Mare?" John shook her shoulder gently. "Mary, wake up baby. Mare?"

"John?" Mary blinked up at him sleepily. "What's going on?"

"The hospital just called. Dean's awake and is getting upset, so I'm gonna go down there."

Mary frowned in concerned. "He going to be okay?"

John nodded. "I'll stay with him until morning, make sure he's alright."

"Okay. I'll bring Sam down tomorrow when he wakes up."

John kissed her goodbye before making his way as quick as he could back to the hospital.

* * *

The first thing Dean became aware of when he woke up was pain. God, he felt like he'd been run over by a truck. What the hell had happened? He blinked, trying to clear some of the fog from his mind and as the memories slowly began trickling in, he pushed himself upright in the bed, ignoring his body when it protested at the sudden movement. Sam! His eyes frantically scanned the room but he couldn't see Sam anywhere. From the look of the room and the beeping coming from various machines around him, Dean knew he was in a hospital but where was his brother? Dean remembered the look of pure terror on Sam's face as their dad dragged him away. What happened? Was Sam hurt? Did John find him in time? Did John find him at all?

Panicking, Dean swung his legs over the bed and painfully pulled himself to his feet. One of the machines behind him began beeping louder and more urgently. He scowled down at the wires and tubes keeping him confided to the bed and he began ripping them out causing the damn machines to get even more upset, but he didn't care. All he could think about was finding Sam.

He managed to take a few steps before the room was suddenly filled with various medical personnel.

* * *

Dr. Lewis was just finishing up her rounds when she heard the commotion coming from Dean's room. As she got closer, she frowned at the conversation she could hear taking place.

"I said stay away from me!"

"Dean, you need to get back in bed."

"The hell I do. I want my brother and I'm gonna go find him."

"Dean..."

"Get out of my way!"

"Dean, if you don't calm down then we are going to have restrain you for your own safety."

_'The hell you are.'_ Dr. Lewis thought as she walked into the room. She knew what had happened to Dean and she knew that restraining him would only result in further traumatizing the poor kid. "I don't think that will be necessary."

"But doctor..."

Dr. Lewis held up her hand, silencing the nurse before approaching Dean with caution, her hands raised placating in front of her. Dean may be pale and barely able to stand but from the looks of it, Jeff, one of the hospital's security staff was going to be sporting a beauty of black eye in a few hours.

"Dean, I'm Dr. Lewis." When that seemed to have little effect in getting his attention she continued, "I treated Sam."

Dean's eyes immediately snapped to hers. "Where is he?" he demanded. "I want to see him."

"I understand that but he's not here."

Dean's eyes widened in fear at that.

"He's fine." She assured quickly. "Mary and John took him home to get some sleep. He's with them."

Some of the tension seemed to leave him but he didn't relax his fighting stance. "Is..is he hurt?"

"He has a few bumps and bruises but nothing serious." Dr. Lewis explained. "I imagine he's tucked up in bed asleep right now, which is where you should be. Why don't you sit back down on the bed for me?"

Dean shook his head then closed his eyes against the dizziness that assaulted him. "No, not until I've seen Sam."

Dr. Lewis looked on in concern as she watched Dean sway unsteadily. "Look, how about I call John and have him come down and speak to you? If I do that, will you get back into the bed?"

"Will you call him right now?" Dean asked, his voice shaky and weak.

"Phone Mr. Winchester." Dr. Lewis ordered one of the nurses who hurried off to do just that.

"Okay, Dean," Dr Lewis took a couple more steps towards the swaying teen. She knew he wasn't going to remain upright much longer. His legs were shaking and his face was covered in sweat. "John's on his way. Will you let me help you back to bed?"

Dean studied her warily for a few more moments before finally nodding his agreement. Dr. Lewis smiled as she gently took a hold of his arms and guided in back down onto the bed. "Now, I want you to just try and relax, alright? I'm going to have one of the nurses hook you back up to your IV's and..."

"No." Dean said, firmly. "Not until John gets here."

"Dean..."

"I said no!"

"Alright, alright." Dr. Lewis placated. "Just stay calm, okay? We can wait for John if that's what you want?"

Dean nodded and rested his head back against the pillows. Yes, that is what he wanted. There was no way he was letting them hook him back up to the machines and other stuff because if John wasn't here in the next fifteen minutes, Dean was getting out of here weather they liked it or not. Nothing was going to keep him from finding Sam.

* * *

Dean didn't remember falling back to sleep but when he next opened his eyes, John was sat beside his bed, looking over at him in concern.

"Hey kiddo." John smiled when he saw Dean was awake. "How you feeling? Heard there was a bit of drama when you woke up."

"No one would let me see Sam." Dean croaked, his throat dry and hoarse.

"Here." John held a cup of water to Dean's mouth, helping him drink. "Small sips."

Dean sighed at the cooling relief the water provided. "Thanks."

"Sam's fine." John said, placing the cup back down on a table. "He's at home with Mary. She's going to bring him in first thing in the morning."

"Dad...did dad...did he hurt him?"

"He's a bit bruised up but he's not badly hurt." John assured.

"You saved him then? From dad?" Dean asked. The last thing he remembered was John leaving to try and find Sam.

"I found him hiding under a bed in one of the rooms upstairs." John answered. "Dean, your dad's dead."

John watched Dean carefully for his reaction. Yes, his dad was a complete psycho but he was still Dean's father and John wasn't sure how he'd take the news of his death.

"Thank god." Dean breathed, his relief clear. "Did you kill him?"

John shook his head.

Dean frowned. "So it was Mary?" Dean remembered seeing Mary kill Mick but he thought that she had stayed downstairs with him when John went to get Sam.

"No, it wasn't Mary."

"So, who was is it then?"

John wrinkled his brow unsure of what to tell him. "It's kind of complicated..."

"Complicated how? What happened? Who killed him?"

"We don't know." John sighed. "Sam was the only one in the room with him and..."

Dean's eyes went wide. "Sam killed him?"

John shook his head. "No, I don't think so but he was in the room when your dad died. He hasn't said anything about what happened yet."

Dean pushed himself up again. Something wasn't right here. He needed to get to Sam.

"Whoa Dean." John put his hands on Dean's shoulders, gently pushing him back down on the bed. "You need to stay where you are."

"Let me up." Dean demanded, wincing as he tried to shrug off John's hands. "I need to see Sam."

"No, Dean. You have to stay in bed." John said, firmly. "Sam's sleeping and you will see him first thing in the morning, I promise. If you keep trying to get out of bed, you're just going to hurt yourself and that's going to upset Sam even more than he already is."

Dean scowled but nodded.

"Good." John smiled and removed his hands. "Now, you're gonna keep your butt in bed and let the nurses hook you back up to whatever it is you need to be hooked up to, alright?"

"Fine but if Sam's not here in the morning then..."

"He'll be here, Dean." John promised as he pressed the call button for the nurse.

John watched as the nurses put Dean IV's back and did whatever else they needed to do. Dean was tense and withdrawn the whole time they were in the room and only relaxed after they had all left.

"Dean, you okay?" John asked in concern.

Dean shrugged, his eyes looking down at the bed sheets. "Just don't like hospitals. Everyone's always touching me."

John nodded sadly in understanding. "I know, buddy. But it won't be for too much longer. You'll be able to come home soon."

Dean eyes began to droop as the pain medicine the nurses had given him started to take effect.

"Close your eyes." John soothed, taking a hold of one of Dean's hands and brushing his thumb soothingly over the skin.

"What about you?" Dean asked sleepily. "Are you going you stay here?"

John nodded. "If that's okay with you."

Dean shrugged, trying hard not to show just how relieved he was to hear that. He didn't want John to leave him here alone. "S'okay."

John smiled. "Go to sleep, Dean. I'll be right here."

"Sammy... be here...morning." Dean slurred.

"I promise." John whispered and Dean turned his hand over so he could hold on tightly to John's until he fell to sleep.

**TBC**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N 1:-** A huge thank you for all your lovely feedback. :) I appreciate each and every one of your comments. :)

**A/N 2:-** This chapter isn't that exciting. It's kinda just setting things in place for rest of the story but I hope you all enjoy it anyway. :)

**Chapter Fourteen.**

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Mrs Winchester." Detective Summers said as Mary handed him and Detective Franklin, cups of coffee.

"Of course. No problem." Mary smiled tightly. It wasn't like they gave her much of a choice. They had been very insistent on meeting with her when they'd phoned, and not wanting to have to go to the station, she had agreed for them to come to the house. Sam was still sleeping and since nightmares had stopped him from getting much sleep much last night, Mary was hoping that he wouldn't wake up while the detectives were here.

Detective Summers flipped open his notebook. "If you could start by giving us your version of what occurred. Starting with when you were kidnapped from the house."

Mary sighed and began recalling her account of what happened.

"And you and Mick fought?" Detective Franklin asked, midway through her explanation.

Mary nodded. "That's right."

"And you were able to gain the upper hand?"

Mary nodded again.

Detective Franklin looked Mary up and down. "That must have taken a lot of effort. He has a lot more bodyweight than you."

"I guess I got lucky."

"I guess so." Detective Franklin gave her smile which Mary thought looked more like a smirk. "Please continue."

Mary finished her explanation and then fixed the detectives with a firm stare. "And that's everything."

"And you have no idea what happened to the father?"

"I told you, I stayed downstairs with Dean. I didn't even see Tom's body."

"Mary?"

Mary turned round to find a nervous looking Sam stood in the doorway.

"Hey, sweetie." Mary quickly made her way to him, crouching down and taking his hands in hers but Sam's gaze remained firmly on the two men sat on the couch. "I'm almost done here, honey. Why don't you go back upstairs and I'll be up in a minute, okay?"

"Hello Sam." Detective Summers was suddenly stood beside Mary. "How you doing, buddy?"

Sam didn't answer but he did move closer to Mary who had stood back up to face the detective.

"Seen as he's awake." Detective Summers continued, "Maybe we could ask him a few questions."

Sam didn't like the sound of that. Questions? Questions about what? Who were these people? He grabbed a hold of Mary's hand, holding it tightly.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Marty stated, firmly.

"Come on, I'm sure he doesn't mind." The detective knelt down in front of Sam. "You're a big boy aren't you Sam? You can answer a few questions, can't you?"

"Who are you?" Sam asked, his voice small and shaky.

"Sam, this is detective Summers and detective Franklin." Mary answered. "But it's okay they were just leaving so..."

"Detective? Like the police?" Sam's eyes went wide and Mary felt the hand she was holding start to tremble. "I didn't kill him. I swear I didn't."

"No one's saying you did." Detective Summers said. "But maybe you saw what happened? Saw who did kill him?"

"That's enough." Mary snapped, stepping in front of Sam protectively. "You have no right to do this. He's not ready to talk about this."

"I didn't see anything." Sam sobbed, hiding his face in Mary's shirt. He couldn't tell them truth. They wouldn't even believe him if he did.

"Come on now, Sam, you must have seen something."

"No, no, no, no, no." Sam shook his head rapidly.

"I want you to leave." Mary demanded. "Right now, detective."

Detective Summers sighed but stood back up and gestured for detective Franklin to leave. "We'll be in a touch again soon."

Mary glared at the man. "Just go."

"Hey, Sam," Mary turned her attention fully to the shaking child once the detective had left. "They're gone now, honey. It's okay. You're alright." Mary held Sam, murmuring soothing nonsense until she felt the trembling ease and his breathing return normal. "There we go. You feel a bit better?"

Sam nodded and Mary smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear. "Why don't you go and get dressed and we'll go and see Dean."

Sam eyes actually got a bit brighter at that and giving Mary one last hug, he rushed off to get ready.

* * *

"You handled that well." Eli said as he loosened his tie and shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it down on the motel bed. "God, I hate wearing these suits."

"Like you would have done any better with the kid, detective Franklin." Jonas snapped.

"Well it's not like I could have done any worse."

"Shut up." Jonas grumbled and he chucked a cell phone over at him. "Call him. Let him know what's going on."

"Why do I gotta call him?" Eli complained.

"Because I'm older and I said so."

Eli snorted. "What are you five?"

"Just call him." Jonas said, disappearing into the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a shower."

Grumbling, Eli dialled the number.

"Yeah?"

"It's me. Jonas and I have just finished interviewing the Winchesters."

"And?"

"And it's definitely our kind of thing." Eli reported. "There were signs of a demonic activity all over the house where the dad died and the kid, Sam, is definitely hiding something."

"Mary?"

"She seemed fine." Eli replied. "How do you want us to proceed?"

"Make your way back to base. I'll handle things from here myself."

"Yes, boss."

* * *

Dr. Lewis walked into Dean's room just as John was waking up."Good morning."

John yawned, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. He felt like he'd barely slept at all. "Morning."

"Any problems during the night?" Dr. Lewis asked as she began checking Dean's chart.

"He woke up few times from nightmares but I was able to settle him back down."

Dr. Lewis glanced sadly over at Dean sleeping form before turning her attention back to John . "Your wife called to say she's on her way over with Sam."

John nodded. "Thank you again for calling me last night."

"Not a problem." Dr. Lewis smiled. "I saw how you were with Sam earlier and was hoping Dean would respond to you the same way. The nurses weren't having much luck in calming him down."

"Yeah, he's extremely protective when it comes to his brother and they both can get quite worked up when they're separated."

"After what they've been through that's perfectly understandable."

"Sammy?" came Dean's groggy voice, his eyes slowly opening.

"Hey, Dean." John quickly took a hold of Dean's hand, squeezing it gently.

Dean blinked sleepily up at him. "John?"

"Yeah, it's me." John smiled. "How you feeling, kiddo?"

"M'okay." Dean replied but John could see the lines of pain on his forehead. "Sammy here?"

"Mary is on her way over with him now." John assured. "In the meantime the doctor is here. You okay to let her check you over?"

Dean tensed up when he realised there was someone else in the room and his eyes slid warily over to the doctor.

"Hello, Dean" Dr. Lewis said, softly. "I'm Dr. Lewis. We met last night."

Dean nodded. "I remember."

Dr. Lewis made her way closer to Dean, keeping her movements slow and steady. "Is it alright if I examine you? Make sure everything is okay?"

Dean shrugged, looking a little unsure. "I guess."

Dr. Lewis smiled and started her examination. "Your vital signs are a lot more stable than they were yesterday which is very good. How's the pain this morning?"

"M'fine." Dean said but John could tell he was lying.

"Dean, if you're hurting then you need to let the doctor know, alright?"

"My ribs hurt a bit" Dean finally mumbled. A bit was a huge understatement but it was all Dean was willing to admit to right now.

Dr. Lewis nodded. "It's going to take a while for them to fully heal but I can give you something for the pain."

Dean shook his head. "Don't want any more painkillers. They make me too sleepy."

"Don't worry about that, buddy." John said, gently. "It's okay if you fall asleep."

"I don't like sleeping here." Dean replied, quietly. His eyes downcast. "There's too many people here."

"Dean..."

"I don't know them and I...what...I..." Dean stammered, his breathing beginning to speed up.

"Hey, hey, take it easy." John soothed. "You're safe here. I'm gonna be staying with you, alright? If you're sleeping, I'll be right here. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?"

"What about Sammy? I don't wanna be sleeping when he's here."

John raised an eyebrow at Dean. "What do you think will upset Sam more; you sleeping or you being in pain?"

Dean chewed on his lip anxiously but agreed to let Dr. Lewis administer the painkillers and no sooner than she finished, Sam was barrelling through the door. He let out a small excited squeal when he saw Dean was awake and raced towards him.

"Sammy," Dean breathed, wrapping his arms tightly around his brother as Sam scrambled up onto the bed.

"Careful, Sam." Mary said. "Dean's still healing."

"I'll be gentle." Sam replied, his voice muffled from where he had buried his face into Dean's neck.

"Sammy," Dean repeated, resting his chin on top of Sam's head. The almost overwhelming fear he had been feeling since he'd first woken up in the hospital easing now that he had his brother back with him.

"De." Sam whispered, breathing in his brother's scent and letting it calm him.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, wanting to check Sam over himself but not willing to let him out of his arms just yet.

Sam nodded. "M'okay. Worried about you."

"I'm gonna be fine, Sammy." Dean assured.

"Okay, I'm going to leave you guys to it." Dr. Lewis smiled. "Dean, I'll be in to check on you in a little while, alright?"

Dean nodded but his eyes never left Sam.

"Boys, will you be okay if me and John talk outside for a minute?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Dean replied and John gave Mary a curious look as he followed her out the door.

"It's so good to see you, kiddo." Dean ran his hands softly through Sam's hair.

"M'sorry I had leave you here alone last night but the doctors wouldn't let me stay."

"Don't worry about it." Dean pulled back a little so he could see Sam better. "You're here now and you're okay. That's all that matters." He reached out to gently touch the bruising on his brother's face. "They hurt?"

Sam shrugged. "Not really."

Dean frowned as he carefully examined the black and blue marks. The thought of his dad hurting Sam like this making him tense up in anger.

"Dean, I'm alright. I promise." Sam said, noticing his brother's change in body language. "It's just a few bruises."

"You hurt anywhere else?"

Sam shook his head.

"Sam..."

"I'm telling the truth." Sam insisted. "Dad didn't do anything else."

"John told me about what happened," Dean pulled Sam closer to him. "That's dad's dead."

It was Sam's turn to tense up. He went rigid in Dean's arms and fine tremors began working their way through him.

"Hey Shhh," Dean whispered, rubbing his hand up and down Sam's back in comforting strokes. "You don't have to be scared. I'm here now. I got you."

"I...I didn't kill him." Sam stammered, his hands fisted tightly in the back of Dean's hospital gown.

Dean nodded. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I...it..." Sam tried to get the words out but the panic slowly flowing him was making it too hard.

"Shhh, Sammy." Dean soothed. "It's just you and me here. You can tell me. It's okay."

With Dean's encouragement, Sam took some calming breaths and began talking.

_"I'm sorry, daddy." Sam cried as his father dragged him into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind them. "I'm sorry, please, I'm sorry."_

_"You're sorry?" His dad sneered and shoved Sam to the floor. "You really thinking saying sorry can make up for what you've done."_

_Sam flinched, a whimper escaping him as his dad hauled him back up to his feet and gripped his upper arms painfully._

_ "Do you know how much trouble you've caused?" his dad snarled and backhanded him hard round the face._

_Sam winced as his father's fist once again connected with his face. "I'm sorry. Please stop, please."_

_"You're poison, Sam." His dad spat. "We were a happy family and then you were born. You tore apart my family."_

_"I...I didn't mean too." Sam sobbed, tears streaming down his bloody and bruised face._

_"Dean was my son. He loved me, looked up to me but you turned him against me. Made him choose you over me and now he has suffer, all because of you." His dad snapped and Sam cowered at the pure venom and hatred in his dad's tone._

_"Please don't hurt him." Sam begged. "I'll leave dad, I swear. I'll leave and you and Dean will never have to see me again, just please don't hurt him, daddy."_

_His dad just laughed. "It's too late for that. Dean made his choice. He betrayed me and now he has to deal with the consequences."_

_"This is all your fault, Sam." His father grabbed him by his hair, dragging him across the room. "You destroyed my life. You got your mother killed and you took Dean away from me."_

_"You're evil, Sam." Hands closed around Sam's throat. "I should have snapped your neck the moment you were born. It's time I fixed that mistake."_

_Sam desperately clutched at the hands around his throat, trying to get them to loosen but it was no use and just as his eyes began to roll back in his head, he was suddenly able to breath again, the crushing pressure was gone and Sam gasped in lungfuls of oxygen._

_"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."_

_"Who the fuck are you?" His dad yelled. "And where the hell did you just come from?"_

_Sam panted heavily, his eyes wide as he stared up at the man who had just appeared in the room. He could see the confusion on his dad's face, and Sam felt his heart pound even harder in his chest when he caught sight of the disturbing yellow glint in the stranger's eyes._

_"Who I am is not important." Yellow eyes replied, his voice a deep, menacing rumble that made Sam shake in fear. Sam flinched when the man suddenly pointed a finger in his direction and growled, "He however is important and as much fun as it is watching you knock him around, I'm afraid I can't allow you to kill him."_

_His dad snorted. "He's my son. I can do whatever the hell I want to the little brat."_

_"He may biologically be yours but the boy belongs to me." The man replied. "He's mine. Your wife made sure of that."_

_"What the fuck you talking about?" His dad snapped._

_"All you need to concern yourself with is that Sam is my property." Yellow eyes stated firmly. "And you will not kill what belongs to me. Understand?"_

_"I'm his father. I'll be the one to decide if he lives or dies."_

_Yellow eyes smirked and clicked his fingers. There was a flash of bright light and Sam heard his dad scream out in pain. When the light faded, Sam saw blood flooding from two slits across his dad's wrists. Another click and flash, then there's more blood, this time gushing from his father's neck. Sam watched in horror as his dad began to make a awful gurgling sound, his eyes wide and staring down at Sam in a mix of surprise and hatred._

_Sam couldn't watch any longer and he dragged his trembling body underneath the bed. He closed his eyes tight and covered his ears, trying to block out all the terrifying sights and sounds. He curled himself into the smallest ball he could, rocking back and forth as he called out Dean's name over and over. Despite his shouts and having his ears covered, Sam still heard the loud snap that he would later realise was the sound of his dad's neck breaking. Moments later Sam heard footsteps approach the bed and the man crouched down beside it._

_"Hi ya, Sammy."_

_Sam refused to open his eyes and shook his head back and forth, distressed mewling sounds escaping from his throat. Sam heard the man chuckle._

_"I'll catch ya later, kid. I have big plans for you."_

_There's another bright flash then everything falls eerily silent and Sam stays where he is, whimpering and keening in fear._

"And then John was there and pulling me out from under the bed."

Sam's whole body shook in Dean's arms and his breath was coming out in short, sharp bursts.

"You...you...believe me, right Dean?" Sam stammered, his wide tear filled eyes locking with his brother's. "I didn't...didn't kill dad. It was the...the man with yellow eyes."

"Shhh, Sammy" Dean rubbed soothing circles across Sam's back, desperate to try and calm him down. "It's okay. I believe you. I believe you. Shhh, it's alright."

"The man he...he wasn't human, Dean." Sam whispered, still struggling to pull in enough air. "I could feel it. I could feel how evil he was."

"Sam, I need you to breath for me, kiddo." Dean rested his forehead against Sam's. "Just breathe, Sammy. It's okay."

Sam shook his head rapidly. "No! No, it's not okay."

"Sam..."

"No, Dean. I've...I've seen him before. I saw him in a dream and..." Tears spilt from Sam's eyes as he remembered the dream and seeing Dean lying dead, his body torn apart. "He...he said he had plans for me, Dean. What does that mean?"

"I don't know, Sam, but I promise you that everything's going to be alright." Dean said, gently cupping Sam's face in his hands. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"What if..." Sam panted still breathing much too fast. "What if means that I'm evil. What if it means I might hurt you and...and...I..."

"Sam, enough." Dean ordered, his tone firm but gentle. "You gotta breathe. Come on, kiddo. Breathe with me, alright? In and out, in and out."

Following Dean's instructions, Sam's breathing began to steady out and Dean smiled, wiping the tears from Sam's face.

"There you go. That's it. Just breathe. Nice and Easy."

Sam listened to the soothing timbre of Dean's voice before finally giving into exhaustion and falling asleep, still clinging tightly onto his brother.

"It's all going to okay now." Dean whispered, placing a soft kiss to the top of Sam's head. "You're safe now. I got you, baby brother. I gotcha."

Dean wasn't sure what to make of what Sam had told him about how their dad died. It's not that he thought Sam was lying, it was just that the whole evil demon thing was kind of hard to get his head around. He knew from Sam's visions that his brother believed that there were supernatural monsters out there, but Dean hadn't seen any evidence himself. That didn't mean it wasn't true and the way his brother described how their dad had been killed made it hard not to believe.

He pulled Sam closer to him. Sam should never of had to go through that. Dean should have protected him from it. He should have kept him safe. That was his job and he had let Sam down.

"I promise, Sammy," Dean swore. "I'm never going to let anything hurt you again."

Dean watched Sam sleep until he couldn't stay awake any longer and taking comfort in the fact that his little brother was back where he belonged, he let himself drift away.

* * *

"You okay, baby?" John asked once he and Mary were outside Dean's room.

Mary nodded. "Just wanted to tell you that the police showed up at the house this morning and there was a bit of an incident with Sam."

"What happened?"

"Sam came down while I was giving my statement and he got upset when they tried to talk to him."

"They know they aren't suppose to be talking to him yet." John growled.

"I know and I made them leave but Sam was still pretty upset by it all."

John scowled. He fully intended to let those detectives know just what he thought of their actions when he next saw them.

"Sam's okay now." Mary said, reaching out to stroke along John's tense arm. "I just wanted to let you know what happened."

John nodded. "Has Sam said anything more about what happened with his dad?"

"No, he had another nightmare about it last night but when I tried to get him to talk about it, he panicked."

John sighed. "Hopefully being back with Dean will help him open up about it."

Mary nodded, squeezing his hand. "Come on, let's go a grab some coffee and get back to the boys."

John and Mary both had matching smiles when they walked back into Dean's room and found the brothers sleeping peacefully, wrapped up in each others arms.

* * *

Three days later and Dean discharged from hospital. He still wasn't fully recovered but his doctors were worried that the hospital environment was holding back his recovery. Dean remained tense and withdrawn when the doctors and nurses were in the room, and his nightmares were getting so bad that they were leading to panic attacks, one time the doctors had been forced to sedate him when they had been unable to find a way to calm him.

Sam wasn't faring any better in the nightmare department and regularly woke up screaming for his brother, and John's back was beginning suffer from the amount of times he'd had to retrieve a scared and shaking Sam from under the bed. He was hoping that now the boys were back together and in familiar surroundings things would start to settle down.

"Hey, buddy." John called into the lounge. "I'm just going to quickly check on your brother. You pick us a movie and I'll be right back, okay?"

"Kay." Sam called back and he made his way over to look through the movie cases. Dean had started running a slight temperature last night and it had made his brother's nightmares worse. Dean hadn't slept all night and in the end, John had to give him some medicine to make him sleep. Sam knew that John offering to watch a movie with him was to try and distract Sam from worrying and hovering over Dean's sleeping form all day, and while Sam appreciated the gesture, he didn't really seeing it working.

A knock on the front door made him jump. After realising he was the only one around to answer it, Sam cautiously walked over and slowly opened the door.

"Well, hello there."

Sam looked up at the man stood of him. He was bald and kind of tough looking.

"I'm looking for Mary." The man said and gave Sam a smile which Sam thought looked a little creepy. "Is she in?"

"She's at the store but John's here." Sam answered, quietly. "Are you another cop?"

The man shook his head and chuckled. "What's your name, kid?"

"Sam."

"That's a good name." The man bent down and extended his hand out. "It's nice to meet you, Sam. My name's..."

"Samuel."

Sam spun round at the sound of John's voice, a slightly puzzled look on his face. The whole time he had been at the Winchesters, John had never once called him Samuel. Once he'd turned round he was able to see that John wasn't talking to him at all. John's gaze was fixed on the man in the doorway and he really, really did not look happy to see him.

**TBC.**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N 1:-** Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up. It took me a while to get it to flow right then my baby godson fell ill and I spent three days at the hospital, but it's finally finished now and the next chapter is already half written so it shouldn't be too long before the next update. :)

**A/N 2:-** A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this story. :) I really appreciate all the support and I hope you enjoy the new chapter. :)

**Chapter Fifteen.**

Samuel stood back up to his full height. "Hello, John."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

At the gruffness in the John's tone and the thunderous look on his face, Sam slowly inched back from Samuel until he was standing just slightly behind John. Sam had no idea who this Samuel person was but John's reaction was enough for him to believe that he was some kind of threat.

Samuel scoffed. "I hope that's not how you greet all your guests."

"You're not a guest." John's voice was cold and hard. "Now I suggest you leave."

"I'm not going anywhere until I've spoken to Mary."

"You're not welcome here, Samuel."

Samuel just ignored John, stepping further into the house. Sam could feel the anger coming of John in waves and he fisted a hand in the material of the bottom of John's shirt in response. Both men were stood tense and the way they were glaring at each other made Sam nervous and afraid about what was about to happen.

At the feel of something grabbing a hold of his shirt, John looked down and immediately felt guilty when she saw how frightened Sam looked, his eyes were wide as they darted rapidly back and forth between him and Samuel.

"Hey, it's okay kiddo." John smiled, deliberately softening his voice. "Everything's alright. There's nothing for you to worry about, okay?" John placed his hand reassuringly on Sam's shoulder. "Why don't you go and wait upstairs with Dean? I'll be up in a minute."

Sam once again glanced anxiously over at Samuel. "You sure?" he asked his voice coming out not much more than a whisper. Sam really wanted nothing more than to hurry to Dean but he felt uneasy about leaving John alone. What if the man tried to hurt John?

"It's fine, Sam." John assured. "Go sit with your brother. I won't be long, alright?"

Sam nodded and gave John's hand a gentle squeeze before making his way back upstairs to Dean.

Samuel smirked. "Can't see you keeping this fostering gig for much longer if you scare all your foster kids like that."

"It's not me he was afraid of." John snapped.

"We were getting along just fine until you showed up."

John let out a frustrated sigh. "What do you want, Samuel?"

"I came to speak to Mary."

"Well she's not here." John gestured towards the front door. "I'll be sure to tell her you dropped by."

Samuel walked into the kitchen, pulling out one of the chairs and sitting down. "I'll wait."

"No, you won't." John growled. "You're not welcome in this house."

"I'm Mary's father. I have a right to see my own daughter."

John snorted. "You lost any rights as Mary's father the day you kicked her out."

"I didn't kick her out." Samuel snapped. "She's the one who left."

"It's not like you gave her much choice."

"She had a choice." Samuel glared over at John with disdain. "And she chose you."

"What kind of father would force her to choose between her family and the man she loves in the first place?"

"The kind who didn't want to see their daughter make a huge mistake." Samuel snarled. "Which is exactly what you are."

"Don't you dare talk to my husband like that."

Both men turned to see Mary stood in the doorway, groceries bags in her arms which she quickly slammed down on the table before fixing her father with a hard stare. "What the hell are you doing here Dad?"

"Mary," Samuel smiled. "You're looking well."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mary repeated, her voice harder and lower.

Samuel sighed. "A father can't just visit his daughter anymore?"

"Oh, so I'm your daughter again now am I? Last time we spoke you made it quite clear that as far as you were concerned you didn't have a daughter anymore."

"I was angry. You know I didn't mean that."

Mary laughed bitterly. "We both know you meant every word."

"Look let's not go over the past, okay? I'm here now and it's really important I talk to you."

Mary folded her arms across her chest. "You could have just phoned."

Samuel huffed out an irritated breath. "Are you going to hear me out or not?"

Mary glared at him for a few more moments before sighing. "You've got five minutes."

Samuel nodded then scowled over at John when the man didn't make any moves to leave. "Mind giving us some privacy?"

John snorted. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"I want to speak to my daughter alone."

"I don't care what you want."

Mary placed a hand on John's arm. "It's okay, John."

"Mare..."

"It's fine," she assured, giving him a quick smile. "I can deal with this."

John shot Samuel another disapproving glare before turning his attention back to Mary. "I guess I'll go check on the boys."

Mary nodded. "Thank you."

"I can see he hasn't changed." Samuel huffed.

"You've got five minutes, Dad." Mary stated. "I suggest you use them to talk about why you're really here."

"I heard about what happened with the kidnapping." Samuel replied. "I wanted to check you were okay."

"And?"

"And what?"

"You don't honestly expect me to believe that your only here out of concern for my welfare so what else is it?"

Samuel sighed. "Just because we haven't spoken in years doesn't mean I don't care about what happens to you."

Mary gave him a disbelieving look. "So, there's nothing else then?"

"Well, yes there is but..."

Mary huffed out a laugh.

"Mary..."

Mary held a hand in the air cutting him off. "Just get on with it, Dad."

"Fine." Samuel pulled a folder out from his jacket and slid it across the table to Mary. "I'm here because of a job and I need your help."

Mary shoved the folder back to him. "Get out."

"Listen..."

"No, you listen," Mary hissed, "I want no part in this. Maybe I wasn't clear when I left but I'm done with this. All of it. So, get out."

"Unfortunately what you want doesn't matter." Samuel stated. "You're already smack bang in the middle of this."

"Excuse me?"

"Those foster kids of yours," Samuel explained. "We believe it was something Supernatural that killed their father."

"What?" Mary shook her head. "That's ridiculous."

Samuel once again pushed the folder back towards Mary. "There are demonic signs all over the house he was killed in."

Mary frowned as she began glancing through the file.

"We've been tracking this thing for a while and..."

Mary slammed the folder shut, handing it back to Samuel. "That's enough."

"Mary..."

"No, I'm not talking about this here." Mary stated, firmly. "You can't just show up and bring this into my home."

"You can't just ignore this." Samuel snapped.

"And I won't but I'm not doing this here." Mary insisted. "I'll meet you later at your motel."

Samuel didn't look happy but he nodded. "I'm staying at the Sunrise."

Once her dad had left, Mary sank down into one of the chairs with her head in her hands. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had fought so hard for a normal, safe life. A life away from hunting, a life with John, and now all that was at risk. She had to figure out a way to fix this and fast before it ended up costing her everything.

* * *

"You sure you don't mind sorting out dinner?" Mary asked as she shrugged on her coat.

"I think I'll manage" John smiled and he ruffled Sam's hair who was sat on the couch watching TV with his brother. "Besides I'm gonna have help, right kiddo?"

Sam nodded eagerly. He always loved it when he got to help out with the food. "Definitely."

"You big girl." Dean teased and Sam scowled, hitting him playfully on the arm.

"We'll be fine." John assured. "Have a nice time with Sarah. Tell her I said hello."

Mary nodded and tried not to look guilty. She hated lying to John. "I will."

John placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "And be careful, okay?"

Mary smiled. "I'm only going to Sarah's. I doubt I'm going to find much trouble there."

"I know but it's just with your dad still being in town." Ever since Samuel had shown up, John had been feeling uneasy and now he knew the man was going to be in staying town for the next few days that feeling only increased.

"Like I said, he's just in town for business and he thought he'd stop by." Mary replied, squeezing his arm reassuringly. "Once he found out nothing had changed, he left. It's unlikely he'll be bothering us again."

John nodded. "I just worry about you."

"I'll be fine." Mary kissed him goodbye. "I'll see you later." Grabbing her purse she waved over at Dean and Sam. "Bye, boys."

"Bye." Sam called after her but Dean remained silent. He'd been watching Mary curiously when she had been speaking to John and he no idea why but he could tell Mary was lying.

* * *

"You know I've missed this." Samuel said, watching as Mary looked through his research papers. "Me and you working together on a hunt."

Mary sighed. "I haven't."

"Come on, it wasn't all bad." Samuel smiled. "You used to love hunting."

"That was when I was a kid." Mary remarked. "And the only reason I wanted to hunt was because it was the only way to get you to spend anytime with me."

Samuel frowned. "That's not true. I spent lots of time with you. I was the one who raised you."

"Raised me?" Mary huffed. "Who's childhood are you remembering because it sure as hell isn't mine. After Mom died, I practically raised myself. If it wasn't to do with hunting you just didn't want to know."

"I think you're being a little unfair." Samuel stated. "It's not like I was off drinking every night. Hunting's an important job. It saves lives and unfortunately that meant that sometimes I couldn't be home but..."

"Hunting's not your job." Mary snapped. "It's your obsession. You've always put it first. It's the reason I left. It's the reason Mom died."

Samuel narrowed his eyes. "That's enough."

"I remember that argument you know. Mom begged you not to go on that hunt. She told you that something wasn't right but you just didn't listen and you ended up getting her killed."

Samuel slammed his hand hard down on the table. "I said that's enough."

Mary stared up at him, her eyes challenging. Samuel took a deep breath, "Look, why don't we just concentrate on what's happening now, alright?"

"Fine." Mary said and turned her attention back to the numerous papers spread out on the table in front of her. "Who did you have put this together? It's a very through job."

"Michael and like I said earlier we've been tracking this thing for a while."

"Any idea on why the demon would want to kill Dean and Sam's father?"

Samuel nodded. "Because of Sam."

Mary furrowed her brow. "Sam?"

"We think the demon is linked to him."

"Linked to him how?"

Samuel pointed down at one of the pages on the table. "Everything this demon does seems to be centred around a group of children. Children who we have discovered all have some kind of supernatural ability or gift."

"And you think Sam is one of these children?"

Samuel nodded. "Yes but we won't know for sure until we've had a chance to speak to him."

"And if he is? Then what do you plan to do to him?" Mary asked, her tone harsh and protective.

"I'm not planning on doing anything to him Mary." Samuel replied. "I just want to speak to him that's all."

"We both know you don't see shades of grey, Dad." Mary stated. "If you think something is in anyway supernatural then you hunt it."

"I don't go around hunting children!" Samuel protested. "You honestly think I'm that heartless?"

"You really don't want me to answer that."

"Well despite what you may think of me, I do not want to harm Sam. I just want to talk to him and find out what happened to his father."

"No." Mary said, sternly. "You're not speaking to him."

"Mary..."

"I'll talk to him." Mary stated. "Find out if he knows anything but I don't want you anywhere near him."

"You have no idea how powerful this demon is." Samuel huffed. "You're gonna need my help with this."

"Maybe but for now you aren't to approach Sam in any way." Mary ordered. "If you do or if you send any more hunters anywhere near him then I will take him and disappear, and trust me when I say that you will never find us. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Samuel said through gritted teeth.

* * *

"Have a good night?"

Mary startled at the voice not expecting anyone to still be up. She smiled when she saw John sat on the couch. "Hey baby, what you still doing up?"

John took another long pull from the beer he was holding before answering. "Wanted to make sure you got home safe."

"That's sweet but you didn't have to." Mary sat down beside him on the couch, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "The boys okay?"

John nodded. "They're sleeping."

Mary frowned at John's tone. It was dull and flat, and his body language was tense and withdrawn. He hadn't looked Mary in the eye once since she'd come in, preferring instead to stare blankly ahead at the muted TV. "John, you alright?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" John answered. "You have a good time with Sarah?"

"Yeah, it was nice to catch up." Mary said, her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what was wrong with John. "Did you and boys have a nice night?"

"Yep. We had dinner then watched a movie before the boys went to bed" John replied, his voice taking on a harder edge. "Then someone phoned for you."

"Who was it?"

John finished the rest of his beer, placing the empty bottle down on the table in front of him before finally turning to look at Mary. "Sarah."

Mary briefly closed her eyes. _Damn._

"She called to ask if we wanted to go over on dinner on Sunday." John continued and Mary flinched at the betrayal and anger she could see in John's eyes.

"John..."

"You lied to me." John hissed. "You stood there and lied right to my face and then you came home and kept lying to me."

"I know and I'm sorry." Mary reached out to take his hand but John quickly pulled it away and Mary swallowed down the pang of hurt she felt. "I swear I never wanted to lie to you. I hated it and..."

"Where did you go?" John demanded.

Mary sighed. "To see my dad."

"What? Why?"

"He needed my help with something." Mary replied. "I know I shouldn't have lied to you about where I was going but it's complicated and I didn't want you to worry."

"Well I'm worried now." John snapped. "So you better start explaining."

"I can't" Mary looked at him with a torn, sad expression. "I'm sorry but I can't explain right now."

"Why the hell not?"

"John, please, I promise I'll explain everything to you. I will but right now I just can't." Mary knew she wouldn't be able to keep the truth from John much longer but she needed some time to figure out how she was going tell him, and she didn't want to tell him anything until she had all facts herself about was going on, which meant she had to speak to Sam first and find out if there is any truth in what her dad was saying.

"That's not good enough, Mary." John said angrily. "I deserve to know what's going on. I deserve to know why you've been lying to me. And I'm not just talking about tonight either."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you fought with Mick." John replied. "That was no freak adrenalin thing. You're moves were perfect. They were practiced. That's something you have to be taught not something that just randomly happens."

"I know I have no right to ask but John I'm begging you, please just trust me for a little while longer."

John stood up abruptly and snatched his car keys off the table before storming towards the front door.

"John!" Mary called after him. "Where are you going?"

"Out!" John snapped and slammed the door shut behind him.

Mary slumped down further onto the couch. God, how had everything got so messed up? She didn't blame John for storming out, if the situation were reserved she probably would have done the same thing. Tears began to pool in her eyes as she thought about what could happen when John finds out that she's been pretty much lying to him since they met. She had just wanted to protect him. Wanted them to live a safe and normal life, free from hunting and demons but now everything was falling apart and she could end up losing the one person she loved more than anything. She put her head in her hands and couldn't stop the sobs that broke through.

* * *

"Dean?" Sam whispered, shaking his brother gently. "Dean, wake up. Dean?"

Dean groaned, rolling over in the bed and following the sound of his brother's voice to wakefulness. "Sammy?"

"Yeah, it's me. You awake?"

Dean gave a non committal grunt as he blinked sleepily up at Sam who was standing bedside the bed, his hand resting on Dean's shoulder. "Whatcha doin up?"

"Something's wrong."

Dean instantly became more alert and sat upright in the bed, his eyes roaming over Sam in search of any sign of what might be wrong. "What is it? You okay?"

"I'm fine." Sam nodded and he chewed on his lip as he cast an anxious look over at the open bedroom door. "I think Mary might be crying."

"What?" Dean rubbed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear the last of sleep from his mind.

"I woke up to go to the bathroom and I heard her arguing with John and now she's crying." Sam was shuffling nervously on his feet. He really didn't like it when people argued.

"Where's John?"

"He left." Sam grabbed a hold of Dean's hand. "What if John hurt her and that's why she's crying."

Dean pulled Sam down until his brother was sitting beside him on the bed and he gently rubbed his thumb back and forth across Sam's palm to help keep his little brother calm. "John wouldn't hurt Mary." Dean assured and he did believe that, although there was the small possibility that he could be wrong. I mean people were rarely what they seemed. "I'm gonna go check on Mary. You stay here, okay?"

"I'll come with you."

Dean shook his head. "No, I need you stay here, alright? People can be unpredictable when they're upset."

Sam looked worried. "You think Mary's gonna react badly?"

"No but I'm not willing to take the chance and end up getting you hurt. So stay up here, okay?"

Sam nodded. "Kay, De."

* * *

Dean slowly made his way downstairs and followed the sound of quiet crying into the lounge. He watched from the doorway for a few moments before taking a deep breath and walking cautiously over to where Mary was sat on the couch.

"Mary?" he said, keeping his voice quiet so as not to startle her. "You okay?"

Mary looked up, surprised to find Dean stood beside her looking concerned and more than a little awkward. She quickly wiped at her eyes and attempted a smile. "Hey Dean. What you doing up, sweetie? Everything alright?"

"I'm fine." Dean said and sat down next to her. "Sam...um...Sam heard you crying and I...you know...I wanted to check you were okay."

Mary smiled, touched by the boys concern for her. "I'm alright. Just got a little upset over something but it's nothing for you worry about. I'm sorry I disturbed you and Sam."

"That's okay." Dean replied. "What happened? Did you and John have a row? Sam said he heard you guys arguing."

Mary nodded. "I did something stupid and John found out."

"Did he find out you lied to him?"

Mary raised her eyebrows in surprise. How loud had she and John been when they were arguing?

"Earlier when you were talking about going to your friend's house you looked like you were lying." Dean explained. "I didn't say anything to John though." He hastened to add.

"It's okay, Dean." Mary reached across and squeezed his hand gently. "I wouldn't be angry even if you had have said something. This is all my own fault and I've got no one to blame but myself."

"Why did you lie?" Dean had to admit he was curious but he was also worried he was overstepping the line and he didn't want to make Mary angry at him for asking. "Not that you have to tell me or anything."

Mary sighed. "It just felt like the right to do at the time. I just didn't want him to get hurt."

"So you were trying to protect him?"

Mary nodded. "But that's no excuse to lie to him."

"John will forgive you." Dean said gently. "I used to lie to Sam all the time to protect him. I used to lie about how badly I was hurt or what happened when Uncle Mick took me to his friends' houses. I knew it would only hurt him if I told the truth. If you lied to protect John then he'll understand and he'll forgive you."

Mary smiled and reached up to gently cup Dean's cheek. "You're a very sweet boy, Dean."

Dean blushed and lowered his head, smiling shyly.

Mary waited for a few moments before speaking again. "Listen Dean, if you don't mind, there's actually something I wanted to talk to you about."

Dean looked back up at Mary. "What is it?"

"It's about your brother."

Mary watched Dean instantly bristle. His body going tense and protective like it always did when something involved Sam. "What about him?"

"I need to know if he's told you anything about how your dad died."

Dean tensed further and he averted his eyes, shaking his head. "No, nothing."

"Dean, I need you tell me the truth. I promise whatever you say I'm not going to get mad and I'm not going hurt you or Sam." Mary assured. "But it's really important you tell me the truth."

Dean bit his lip. He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to tell Mary about what Sam had said because that would mean she could find out about Sam not being normal and that never ended well, but Dean also knew he couldn't handle what Sam had said about the thing that killed their dad on his own. Sam was still having nightmares about the yellow eyed man and nothing Dean did seemed to be able to soothe him. He had no idea if the demons and the things Sam described from his visions were real or not but if they were then Dean would need help.

"Are you afraid I won't believe you?" Mary asked. "Because I promise you Dean, no matter how crazy it sounds, I'll listen and I'll take you seriously."

Mary could tell Dean was still battling with himself about whether he could trust her so she continued trying to encourage him. "When John caught Sam putting down the salt, he was doing that for protection, right?"

Dean nodded.

"Do you know what Sam was trying to protect himself from?"

Dean nodded again but still didn't say anything.

"Was it something not human?" Mary asked carefully.

Dean's eyes locked with hers, his expression one of surprise and wariness.

"Dean, it's okay." Mary said, keeping her voice low and calm. "You can tell me."

"Demons." Dean said, his voice barely above a whisper and he watched for Mary's reaction with nervous, fearful eyes.

Mary took a deep breath, she'd still been hoping that there was some non-supernatural explanation for all this but unfortunately it was looking like that wasn't the case. "Have you ever seen the demons or anything else supernatural?"

Dean shook his head. "Only Sam has, in his..."

"In his what, Dean?" Mary encouraged when Dean trailed off.

"In his visions." Dean finally answered.

"Visions?"

"The seizures he has, he sees things when he has them." Dean replied. "Things that haven't happened yet. Sometimes he'll see a demon or some kind of monster but not always."

Mary took a few moments to absorb what Dean was telling her. She remembered that her dad had said that all the children linked to the demon seemed to possess some kind of supernatural ability. "How long has he had the visions?"

"You believe me?"

Mary nodded. "Yes, I believe you."

Dean eyed her suspiciously. "Why? Most people would think I was insane if I told them this."

"I'm not most people." Mary smiled. "The way I grew up there's not much that I would have trouble believing."

"What do you mean?"

"I promise I'll tell you all about it later but we need to finish talking about this first."

Dean nodded. "He had his first one when he was about five. I totally freaked out when he just dropped the ground and started seizing, even Dad looked panicked. It didn't last very long and Sammy was too young to make much sense out of what he was seeing, so for a while we didn't even know they were visions and just thought they were seizures."

"Then they started getting worse." Dean continued. "Whenever anyone would touch him during one he'd scream in pain and weird stuff would happen, windows would shake and the lights would blow. As Sam got older he started to be able to say what he was seeing. If I could then I would try to help whoever Sam saw but sometimes he wouldn't remember a lot and Dad and Mick never cared so I wasn't able to do a lot."

"So, your Dad and Mick knew about the visions?"

"Yeah but they didn't care about what Sam saw or what was causing them." Dean replied unable to keep the anger and disgust out of his voice when he thought about how his dad and Mick had treated Sam whenever he had a vision. "They would just use them as an excuse to call Sam evil." Dean shot Mary a stern glare. "Sam's not evil. There's nothing evil about him. My Dad and Mick were wrong."

"I never for a moment thought he was." Mary assured. "How often do the visions happen?"

Dean shrugged. "Sometimes he can go months without one. The worst I remember was three times in one week but that's only happened once." Dean looked at Mary hopefully. "Do you think you can find a way to stop them? They really hurt him and I don't know how to make them go away."

Mary wrapped an arm around Dean and gently pulled him closer to her. "I don't know if there's a way to stop them but I promise I'm going to help Sam, okay? You don't have to deal with this by yourselves anymore."

Dean nodded against Mary's shoulder.

"Can you tell me what Sam said happened to your dad?"

Dean took a few deep breaths before telling Mary about what Sam had said about the yellow eyed demon killing their dad and that it had told Sam that it had big plans for him.

"What...what do think that means?" Dean asked, shakily.

"I don't know but whatever it means I swear to you that we'll find a way to keep Sam safe." Mary promised and she meant every word.

* * *

"How could you do that?" Sam shouted. "How could you tell her?"

"Sam, calm down. It's okay, kiddo." Dean expected Sam to be upset and worried when he found out that Dean had told Mary about his visions and what happened with their dad but he hadn't expected him to freak out this much. His brother was stood facing him, his face red with anger and his hands were clenched tightly into fists at his side. His breathing was hard and fast and he was rejecting any attempts Dean made at soothing him.

"You promised they wouldn't find out about me!" Sam yelled. "Why would you tell her? Why would you do that? You know how bad things got when Dad and Mick found out."

"Shhh, Sammy. It's alright. I won't let anyone hurt you." Dean reached out to pull Sam into his arms but Sam shoved at him hard making him stumble back a few steps.

"It's not me I'm worried about!" Sam screamed. "You're the one who is going to end up getting hurt. You'll get hurt protecting me and it will be all my fault just like it always is! Things were going okay here and now everything is going to get bad again. How could you tell her?"

"I told because she might be able to help you Sam." Dean argued. "She might be able to find a way to stop the visions."

"And what happens when she tells John? How's he going to react?"

"I don't know but I'll make sure he doesn't come near you." Dean promised. "I'll make sure you're safe."

"And what about you? Who's going to be protecting you?"

"It doesn't matter what happens to me as long as you're safe."

"Of course it matters!" Sam screamed and he swiped out angrily at the items on the bedside table, the lamp crashing to floor and shattering on impact. "How can you think so little of yourself? How can you not care what happens to you? Because I care and it kills me every time I see you hurt and know it's because of me!"

"Sammy please, just calm down, okay?" Dean placated, trying to keep his voice low and soothing. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to upset you but I promise everything's going to be alright."

Sam heard the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs and his head whipped round to face the bedroom door. Any second now they would come bursting into the room and Dean would end up getting punished all because they found out about what Sam was. No! Sam wasn't going to let that happen. He couldn't. As someone began to push the door open, Sam flung his hand out in the direction of the door and it slammed back closed. Sam could feel some kind of force flood through his veins and he centred it all on keeping the door from being opened. It hurt and it made it feel like his blood was on fire but he wouldn't stop. He had to keep Dean safe.

Dean watched frozen in shock as his brother appeared to slam the door closed from across the room and keep it shut without even touching it. Sam's arm was outstretched toward the door and his whole body was trembling. Dean could hear Mary pounding on the other side of the door as she called their names and when Dean finally found himself able to move again, he hurried to Sam's side.

"Sam!" He tried to move Sam's arm but it was solid and no matter how hard Dean tugged he couldn't move it. Dean's eyes widened in horror when he saw the blood dripping from his brother's nose and he redoubled his efforts to get Sam to lower his arm. "Sam, stop! Sam!"

Mary was banging on the door, desperately shouting out Dean and Sam's names when John came running up the stairs.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know." Mary stammered. "I can't get the door open."

John tried the door himself but it wouldn't budge. He could hear movement from inside and Dean's panicked voice. John pounded a fist against the wood. "Dean, Sam! Open the door!"

Sam began panting, his breaths short and shallow and Dean could tell that Sam's body was desperately struggling for air. Blood continued to pour from his brother's nose and his whole body was covered in a sheen of sweat.

"Sammy, please stop." Dean begged. "Sam, you're hurting yourself. Sammy, please. Please stop." Dean framed his brother's face with shaking hands and rested his forehead against his brother's. "Sam please."

Seconds later Sam's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he slumped in Dean's arms. "Sam!" Dean lowered them both to floor just as John and Mary came bursting through the door.

"What was blocking the damn door..." John's voice trailed off when he saw Sam lying unconscious and bleeding in Dean's arms. "What happened?" John quickly knelt down besides them.

"I don't know." Dean stammered, his voice trembling as he brushed his brother's bangs from his face. "Sam? Sammy, can you hear me? Sam?"

John reached for Sam so he could lie him on the floor and check him over but the second he touched him, Dean tightened his grip on his brother and looked up at John with something close to a snarl.

"Dean," John said, gently but firmly. "I'm not going to hurt him but you need to let me help, okay?"

When Dean slowly nodded, John carefully moved him from Dean's arms and laid him flat on the floor so he could check him out.

The words John said next caused Dean's whole world to stop turning.

"Call 911." John yelled at Mary. "He's not breathing."

**TBC**

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)


	16. Authors Note

Hi,

I just wanted to let everyone know that it's going to be at least a few weeks before I am able to post a new chapter. Unfortunately my partner and I have just suffered a house fire which sadly killed three of our pets and pretty much destroyed all our belongings. We are currently having to stay at my parents house while we try to sort everything out.

I'm sorry to let down and disappoint those of you waiting for a new chapter but I am broken hearted over the deaths of our animals and I just can't focus on writing right now. I will try to get back to it as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:-** Firstly, I want to say thank you so much for all the kind messages of support. They are very much appreciated and have helped a lot at such a difficult time. Life is still pretty intense right now but things are starting to get better. :)

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter up but now that it's finally here, I hope you all enjoy it. :)

**Chapter Sixteen.**

"Dean, why don't you sit down, buddy?" John suggested and he gently tried to manoeuvre Dean into one of the waiting room chairs. He didn't think Dean's body could get anymore rigid but the second John touched him, the kid tensed further and refused to be moved. John could feel the shivers working through him.

"I don't want to sit down," Dean snapped, shrugging out of John's hold. "I want to see Sam."

"I know you do." John smiled sadly. "But we have to give the doctors room to do their job . I promise that as soon as Sam's stable you'll be able to go see him."

"He stopped fucking breathing." Dean resumed his earlier anxious pacing of the waiting room's floor. "I should be with him not stuck in here."

John frowned in concern as he watched Dean's angry pacing. It had taken John three attempts before he'd been able successfully remove a protesting and struggling Dean out of Sam's hospital room and into the family waiting room. And that struggle had been nothing compared to the one Dean threw when the paramedics had told Dean he wouldn't be unable to ride with Sam in the ambulance. John had been forced to pin Dean to him to prevent the teen from running after the ambulance as it drove off, and Dean's breathing had become so laboured and erratic that John was worried they might end up having to call out a second ambulance. Thankfully though with help from Mary, they had been able to calm Dean down and John had driven the three of them to the hospital.

"Dean, sweetie," Mary said gently from where she was sat. "Please sit down. You're still recovering from your own injuries and you need to take things easy."

"Take it easy?" Dean scoffed."My brother is lying unconscious in a hospital bed and it's all my fault!"

Mary shook her head. "That's not true. This isn't your fault."

"Yes it is!" Dean clenched his hands into fists trying hard to control the trembling of his body but it was impossible to do when every fibre of being was screaming out for him to get to Sam. "I never should have told you anything. If I had just kept my mouth shut about the visions then Sam would be fine."

"Dean..." Mary began at the same time John asked, "Visions?"

Dean shook his head, refusing to answer. He'd done enough damage already, he wasn't going to add to add to it by filling John in.

Knowing he wasn't going to get an answer from Dean, John turned his attention to Mary. "What's he talking about?"

Mary sighed. "Not now, John."

"Yes, now." John was sick of being lied to and kept in the dark. "I deserve to know what the hell is going on."

"This isn't the time or place for this John."

"I don't care," John snapped, his voice rising as he lost his temper. "I'm tired of being the only one not to know what's happening. So, start talking."

Mary ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "John please. I promise I'll explain..."

"I don't want hear that you'll explain later. I just want the truth." John demanded angrily.

"John!" Mary's voice was stern and she nodded her head towards Dean.

John turned around to see Dean had plastered himself back against the wall, his eyes wide as they watched John warily. John immediately felt guilt flood through him, knowing that Dean was reacting to his anger. "Hey Dean, it's alright, buddy." John softened is voice and held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I didn't mean to yell. Everything's okay."

"I...I want to see Sam," Dean stammered.

John always hated seeing fear in Dean's eyes and it felt a thousand times worse when that fear had been put there by John's own stupidity. John was about to apologise again when everyone's attention was drawn to waiting room door as Sam's doctor walked into the room.

"How's Sam?" Dean demanded, edging his way past John so he could stand in front of the doctor.

"He's doing well." The doctor smiled kindly. "He's still unconscious but all his vital signs have now stabilized and we expect him to be waking up very soon." The doctor looked over at John and Mary. "We're still not sure what caused him to stop breathing like that so we'll be keeping him in a little longer while we run some more tests."

Dean felt relief course through him at the doctor's words but he knew that he wouldn't be able to fully relax until he back with his brother."Can I see him?"

The doctor nodded. "Of course. If you all just want to follow me, I'll take you to Sam's room."

"Dean, you go ahead with the doctor," John said, making sure he kept his voice as calm as he could. "Mary and I will be there in a minute."

Dean hesitated briefly, he knew that John would start questioning Mary again once he left, and he felt bad about leaving her alone but his first priority as always was his brother. His need to see Sam outweighed everything else and after giving Mary an apologetic look, he followed the doctor out of the waiting room.

"John, please, can we not do this now?" Mary knew John was determined to know the truth and he deserved better than being lied to, but Mary really didn't want to have this conversation in the middle of a god damn hospital. "Sam's sick. Let's just concentrate on getting on him home."

"I just want to know what's going on." John threw his hands up in frustration. "I don't think that's too much to ask."

"No, it's not and I swear John that I will tell you everything but believe me when I say a hospital isn't the right place for this conversation."

John sighed deeply. "Fine. Let's go see Sam."

Mary nodded and started to make her way towards the door but she turned her attention back to John when he took a hold of her arm to stop her.

"Once we get home I want the truth. No more excuses. No more lies. Just the truth."

"The truth." Mary promised.

* * *

They were just about to go to into Sam's room when John suddenly stopped, his attention on something in the hospital corridor behind Mary. "You've got to be kidding me," he growled.

"John, what is it?" Mary asked as she turned around. "Dammit," she sighed when she saw her father making his way over to them.

"What the hell is he doing here?" John hissed and he tried to take a step towards him but Mary placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Just go and see the boys, I got this." When John just scowled and tried once again to move towards Samuel, Mary continued, "John, I'll get him to leave but I need you to let me handle this, okay?"

John stared unhappily at Mary for a few more moments before letting out an irritated huff and disappearing into Sam's room.

"I see John is usual charming self," Samuel remarked with a smirk.

Mary rolled her eyes and chose to ignore the comment and instead ushered her Dad into the family waiting room. "What are you doing here, Dad?"

"I heard about Sam and I wanted to make sure he was alright."

"You heard about Sam? How?"

Samuel shrugged. "I have my ways."

"Let me guess, you've been using your scanner to listen in on emergency calls."

"You know me. Always like to keep an ear out for trouble."

"Always searching out the next hunt, right Dad?" Mary replied sarcastically. "Well there's nothing to hunt here so you might as well leave."

"Would it kill you to just talk to me civilly for once?" Samuel huffed and he sighed in frustration when Mary just folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "Look, you may not want me here but you need me here. You have no idea how powerful this demon is and if you want to help that boy in there then you're gonna need to start trusting me."

Mary was silent for a few more moments before asking, "You said before that all the children linked the demon had some kind of supernatural ability?"

Samuel nodded.

"Have you found a way to take away those abilities?"

"No, but we've able to help a few of the children learn to control them better and we are finally starting to make some progress on being able to keep the kids hidden from the demon. At the moment it can pretty much track them whenever it wants, most likely using some kind of psychic link but we're confident that in time we can find a way to break it, maybe even use it to be able locate where the demon is."

"What kind of abilities do the other children have?"

"It varies. Telekinesis, premonitions, emphatic abilities, even some forms of mind control," Samuel replied. "So, what's Sam's?"

Mary didn't answer right away, she was still reluctant about accepting her dad's help, not sure if she fully trusted that all he wanted to do was just help Sam, but on the other hand she knew her dad was right, she couldn't handle this alone and whatever she may think of her dad, he was one hell of hunter and knew all this supernatural stuff like nobody else. If she wanted to help Sam then she was going to have to work with her dad on this. "He has visions. Premonitions of people in trouble."

"Do you know how long he's had them for?"

"Dean said he had the first one when he was about five," Mary answered. "Whenever he has one it sends him into some kind of seizure and Dean told me that if he anyone touches him during one it cause things like the windows to shake and the lights to blow. They also seem to cause him a lot of pain."

"Is that why he's here? Did he get hurt having a vision?"

Mary shook her head. "No, I don't think so. He and Dean were in their bedroom arguing and when I went up to check on them, I couldn't get the door to open. It was like there was something blocking it and I could hear Dean pleading with Sam to stop, that he was hurting himself, so I'm guessing Sam must have somehow kept the door from opening. When we were finally able to get in there Sam was unconscious and bleeding on the floor. He...he wasn't breathing."

"He was probably using some kind of telekinesis." Samuel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It's unusual but not unheard of for some of the children to display more than on type of ability. Having that much power though is really hard for the body to cope with and if it's not controlled properly then it can have devastating effects."

"But you can help him control it, right? So, that he doesn't get hurt again?"

"We can try but it isn't going to be easy. Some of the kids are struggling to get control of just one ability, and Sam is going to need to learn to control two."

"So what do I need to do to help him?"

"You're gonna need to let me take him with me," Samuel stated. "I'll take him back to our base in Iowa. It's safer for him there while we try to get a handle on his powers. I have a team who can work with him and if the demon shows up then he'll be protected by hunters."

Mary immediately shook her head in instant refusal."Absolutely not! I'm just gonna hand him over to you so you can do god knows what to him."

"I'm not going to do anything but help him!" Samuel protested.

"And just what are the methods that you and your team plan to use when you're _'helping'_ him?" Mary demanded.

"I'm not a monster," Samuel snapped. "We aren't planning on torturing him if that's what you're implying."

"Sam's not going anywhere alone with you and that's final," Mary stated firmly.

"Look, if you really don't trust me then you are perfectly welcome to come along too. I've got nothing to hide."

"What about Dean and John? Can they come too?"

"Christ, Mary," Samuel huffed, "It's not a god damn family vacation."

"Sam isn't going anywhere if we all can't go with him." Mary crossed her arms across her chest. "So take it or leave it."

Samuel threw his hands up in exasperation. "Fine!"

Mary nodded. "Okay, I'll think about it."

"Mary..."

"I said I'd think about it. I'm not making any decisions until I've had a chance to speak to my family about it." Not even giving her dad a chance to reply, Mary turned and walked out of the waiting room.

* * *

"You're mad at me aren't you?" Sam picked nervously at his hospital blanket, his head lowered as he looked at Dean from under his bangs. Sam had woken up a few hours ago and the first thing he had seen was Dean, which wasn't all that surprising seen as it was sound of Dean's voice that had drawn Sam out of the comfortable haze he'd been floating in and back to wakefulness. Sam had been tempted to stay in the calm and quiet he'd been drifting in but responding to Dean's voice was something that seems to have been imprinted in him from birth, so when that worried, gently coaxing voice pleaded with him to wake up, Sam had obeyed without question. When he'd finally blinked Dean's face into focus, Sam had just smiled up at him dopily. Then he'd remembered what had happened, and the smile slipped from his face to be replaced by a frown as fear once again began to creep up on him. Dean had told Mary. Sam's eyes had then anxiously glanced over at the other occupants in the room expecting to find a look of anger and disgust on John and Mary's faces but to Sam's surprise their expressions held only concern and worry.

"It's fine," Dean had immediately soothed. "Everything's okay."

Sam had ran his gaze critically over Dean, searching for any sign that John or Mary might have hurt him but thankfully he couldn't find any and Sam let out a sigh of relief.

"Sam?" Dean's hand had gently cupped his brother's cheek. "Are you okay?"

When Sam nodded and gave Dean another small smile, Dean had placed his forehead against his brother's and breathed out a shaky, "Thank god."

Dean had stayed with Sam on the bed until the doctor had come in to check Sam over. The doctor was been pleased with Sam's responses and reactions now he was awake and had reported that all the tests they had done so far had come back negative. They still needed to perform a few other checks but as long as Sam ate something and returned the next day for some follow up tests then he was free to go home.

John and Mary had then left to search out something for Sam to eat, and Sam had been expecting Dean to join him back on the bed but Dean had just remained in the chair and Sam could see the tension in his shoulders and his expression was a mix of stress and what looked like it could be anger.

Dean gave Sam a stern look when he heard his brother's question. "You mean am I mad at you for nearly killing yourself?" Dean's voice was sharp and Sam could count on one hand the number of times that tone had ever been directed at him. "What do you think Sam? I saw you stop fucking breathing!"

Dean looked so tired and sad, betrayed even and Sam couldn't deal with that. He tried uselessly to choke back a sob. He had never wanted to make Dean look like that. "M'sorry, De," he hiccupped, tears filling his eyes.

Dean was suddenly back by the side of the bed, his hands gently framing Sam's face. "Aw, no Sammy, don't cry. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to snap at you."

Guilt had immediately replaced any anger Dean still felt when he saw Sam begin to cry. Dean hadn't meant to have been so harsh with him but with the relief that had come with hearing the doctor say Sam was going to be okay came the realization of just had close he had come to losing his brother.

"M'sorry, De," Sam repeated and he tugged on Dean's hands until his brother finally climbed back up on the bed with him. Sam wrapped his arms tightly around him, burying his face in Dean's neck. "I didn't mean to do it. I just got so scared."

"I know you did, kiddo," Dean ran a hand gently up and down Sam's back. "But Sammy you can't ever do anything like that ever again, do you understand? You nearly died and if I had lost you then...I just...I just can't lose you, Sam. I just can't."

"I won't do it again, I swear." Sam promised. "I don't even know how I did it. I just didn't want anyone coming in the room and hurting you. I don't know how I kept the door from opening, it just happened."

Dean held Sam tighter. "Well, we need to make sure it doesn't happen again. I can't watch you go through that again."

Sam swallowed hard, unable to keep the fear out of his voice as he quietly asked, "Do you think me being able to do that thing with the door is what the yellow eyed man meant when he said he had plans for me?"

"I don't know," Dean answered honestly. "But whatever it means, you don't have to worry, alright? Cause we're gonna find a way to stop it."

"Dean..."

"Look, I know you're worried because I told Mary about the visions but I swear Sammy, she's not mad or angry. She believes us and I think she can help us."

"Has she told John yet?" Sam asked shakily. "About me?"

"No, I don't think so but John knows something is going on, so I don't think it will long before she tells him." Dean stroked a hand soothingly through Sam's hair. "It's gonna be okay though Sam. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"You promise?"

"I promise." Dean really hoped he wasn't lying.

* * *

The drive back to the house was a pretty much silent journey. Sam fell to sleep within moments of John pulling out of the hospital parking lot, his head lolling on Dean's shoulder as Dean carded his hand gently through his brother's hair. Apart from murmuring soft reassurances whenever Sam made the occasional sleepy noise, Dean showed no interest in talking, clearly not wanting to interact with John and Mary, all his attention reserved solely for his sleeping brother.

Mary stared absently out of the car window clearly lost in thought and you could cut the tension that hung between her and John with a knife, but knowing that that nothing would be resolved until Mary told him the truth and that wouldn't be happening until they got back to the house, John just concentrated on driving and wondered when he hell everything had got so screwed up.

John was sure the uncomfortable silence in the car made the drive home seem twice as long as normal but finally he was pulling up outside the house. Mary got out without a word and proceeded to open the front door while John made his way to the back of the car and reached in to take a sleeping Sam from Dean.

As soon as Dean realised John's intention, he pulled his sleeping brother back against his chest, wrapping his arms around Sam until they were totally entangled. "I got him," Dean grumbled, not happy with idea of John being the one to carry Sam into the house.

"Dean," John sighed. "You can't carry Sam. You're still hurt yourself. Just let me help, okay? I promise I'll be extra careful with him."

Dean scowled and he tapped a rhythm with his fingers against Sam's chest as he tried to decide whether or not to trust John with Sam. A few more moments passed before Dean finally nodded and he reluctantly released his hold on Sam.

"Thank you." John gave him a reassuring smile and he gently scooped Sam up into his arms and lifted him out of the car being careful not to hit the kid's head on the car door on the way out. He really didn't want to think about how that would go down with Dean if John accidently did that. "Come on buddy, let's get you both inside."

"You better not drop him," Dean warned as he scrambled out of the car and followed John into the house.

* * *

John found Mary waiting for him the living room when he came back downstairs. She was sat on one end of the couch looking more nervous than John had ever seen her. She looked up when she heard him walk into the room.

"The boys okay?"

John nodded, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. "Sam's still asleep and it doesn't look like Dean's going to be able to stay awake much longer."

Mary took a deep breath. "John, I'm sorry..."

"I don't want to hear sorry," John said tiredly. "I just want the truth."

Mary nodded. She knew it was time for the truth but she'd been keeping this from John for so long now that she had no idea how he would react to it. To find out not only that the Supernatural existed but that your wife has also been lying to you since you met was not going to be an easy thing to hear. She had no idea where to start, no clue as to what the best way to try and ease John into this would be, so it shouldn't have been a surprise to her when she found herself just blurting out, "I'm a hunter."

John looked up at her in total bewilderment, like she had just said the craziest thing in the world. "Mary, you've never been hunting in your life. You can't even watch those wildlife shows without getting upset when the animals die."

Mary shook her head slowly. "Not that kind of hunter, John."

"What other kind is there?"

"The supernatural kind." Mary bit her lip anxiously as she watched John closely for his reaction.

John's raised his eyebrows, sure he must have misheard. "Excuse me?"

"There's no easy to say this so I'm just gonna say it." Taking a few deep breaths to try and calm her nerves, Mary continued, "The supernatural is real. There are monsters out there, John. Nightmare things and my dad...my whole family really, they hunt those things. I do too, well I did. I left when I met you. That's what my dad and I were always arguing about. He didn't want me to leave the life. Hunting all he's ever known and after my mom got killed, he became even more obsessed with it. I didn't want that kind of life. I wanted a normal life. A safe one. I wanted a life with you."

Silence reigned over them for long uncomfortable moments, John staring at Mary like she had grown a second head.

"John, please, say something."

Mary was slightly taken aback when John suddenly chuckled.

"That's insane," he laughed although there was no real humour to it. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that."

"It's the truth."

John's laughter faded when he realised Mary wasn't joking. "Oh my god, you're serious. You actually believe what you just said."

"Kinda hard not to believe it when it's the life you were born into," Mary remarked. "Look, I know how crazy this sounds. I lied to you because I never wanted you to find out. I wanted to keep you protected from all this. I've seen this life destroy so many people, good people. I didn't want that to happen to you. It's why I lied to you about going to meet up with my dad. I just wanted to keep you safe. I wish I didn't have to tell you any of this but you deserve the truth and with the boys being involved..."

"What? How the hell does any of this involve the boys?"

"It's why my dad is here." Mary explained. "The demon he's hunting is after Sam. It's what killed Dean and Sam's dad..."

John stood up, shaking his head. This can't be real. It just can't. "Demon? Mary, do you hear yourself? This...this is just...there's not even a word for how messed up this is! Demons, demons aren't real, Mary! I asked for the truth not more lies!"

"Why would I lie about this John? If I was going to make something up don't you think I'd chose something that makes me sound a little less like a lunatic?" Mary ran a hand frustratingly through her hair. "Think about it John. You said yourself that there was something weird about how the boys dad died. That there was no way Sam could have done it. You wanted to know I was able to fight Mick the way I did? It's because my dad trained me to fight. As soon as I was old enough to walk, my dad started training me how to fight, how to be the perfect hunter."

"Then there are Sam's seizures. They aren't seizures, John, they're visions. It's why Dean wouldn't let you touch Sam when he had one, he was terrified of us finding out." Mary could see the colour draining from John's face and she hated having to do this to him but there was no choice now. He had to know. "The time you caught Sam trying to salt the bedroom? It's because he was trying to protect himself from something supernatural."

"She's telling the truth."

Both John and Mary turned and were surprised to find Dean stood in the doorway.

"Well about Sam's visions and the salt," Dean shuffled a little awkwardly on his feet. "I can't vouch for the stuff about how she grew up but I can't see why anyone would want to lie about that."

"So, you're telling me that a demon killed your dad?" John asked.

Dean moved to sit down in one of the chairs, his eyes glancing cautiously back and forth between John and Mary. "Well, Sam didn't use the word demon but he did say that whatever it was, it wasn't human and that he could sense how evil it was, so, um yeah, I guess you could say demon."

John slumped back down onto the couch and shook his head again. There was no way all this could be true. I mean it was just so...

"I know it's hard to believe," Dean said quietly. He hesitated, still conflicted on how much he should share with John and Mary. "Sammy's been talking about seeing freaky stuff in his visions for years now and even I wasn't sure what to believe at first. I mean the supernatural being real? That's impossible right? But after seeing your kid brother holding a door closed using only the power of his mind? That's kinda hard to ignore."

John's eyes went wide. "That...that was Sam?"

Dean nodded. "I don't know how he did it, even Sam doesn't know how but yeah it was Sam."

"My dad might actually know something about that." Mary said and Dean immediately turned his focus on Mary, his gaze curious and wary.

"Your dad?"

"I don't know how much you overheard when I was talking earlier but my dad is a hunter. He hunts the type of things Sam sees in visions. He helps save people. He's been tracking the demon that killed your dad," Mary explained, trying to word things out carefully so as not to freak Dean out too much. "He says that the demon is connected to a group of children, all of who display some kind of supernatural ability. Children like Sam."

"And you're saying the demon is connected to them? Connected to them how?" Dean demanded. He really didn't like the sound this.

"My dad doesn't know for sure but he has been able to help some over the other children get control of their abilities and he thinks he can do the same for Sam," Mary replied. "To do that though we would have to take Sam to where my dad lives in Iowa. He has a place there that will help keep Sam safe from the demon while we try to get a handle on his abilities, and find a way to stop the demon for good."

Dean bristled at the idea taking Sam away somewhere. His first instinct was 'No way in hell'. He didn't know Mary's dad. All he knew about the man is that he hunts the supernatural. What if this was a trap? What if he considered Sam to be something supernatural and wanted to hurt him? But on the other hand Dean knew he couldn't handle this on his own. Sam had nearly died today by using whatever power that was, and Dean had no idea how to make sure that it didn't happen again. If Mary's dad was telling the truth then this could be what Dean had been searching for. A way to stop the visions and anything else from hurting Sam. "Will I be able to stay with him?"

Mary nodded. "We would all go. Sam would be completely safe." Mary tried to keep any uncertainty out of her tone. She couldn't be completely sure that her dad wasn't hiding something but they really didn't have any other choice right now, and Mary was confident that she would be able get Sam out of there at the first sign of trouble.

Dean looked over at John who was looking every bit like a man who had just had his whole world turned upside down. "What do you think, John? Do you trust Mary's dad?"

John didn't know what to say. His brain still trying to digest the fact that monsters were real. That all of this was real. He glanced at Mary and her eyes were pleading with his to back her up, and Dean was looking at him in a mixture of uncertainty and hopefulness. With a sigh, John finally nodded. "If Mary says we can trust him then we can trust him."

The relief on Mary's face was clear and she gave John a small smile. "Thank you."

"So, how is this going to work? When will we be going to your dad's?" Dean asked.

"It's really late so for now I suggest we all get some rest and we'll discuss what's going to happen in the morning, okay?" Mary replied.

Dean nodded and he once again looked from Mary to John. "But things are okay, right?" he asked, warily. "Between you guys? You're alright?"

"Everything's fine, Dean," John assured, hoping his voice sounded more convincing than he felt. "You don't have worry. We're going to figure this out and we'll do it together, as a family." John promised. "You're not alone in this anymore. We're a family and whatever happens we will find a way to keep you and Sam safe. Nothing is going hurt either of you again."

John was surprised when he suddenly found his arms full of Dean, the kid wrapping his arms around John in a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered into John's ear.

"You're welcome." John patted Dean's back a few times before pulling away. "Mary right, it's late so why don't you head back up to bed and get some sleep."

Dean nodded. "Okay" he stood back up and after saying goodnight to both John and Mary and giving Mary a quick hug too, he headed back upstairs to Sam.

"Thank you again," Mary said once Dean had left and it didn't look like John was going to say anything. "For backing me up on my dad and for what you just said."

"I only said that for Dean's benefit," John remarked. "Kid's been through enough already."

Mary almost flinched at the hard tone of John's voice. "John..."

"I meant what I said about keeping them safe and helping them but Mary things between us are not okay," John stated. "You've been lying to me our entire marriage, hell you've been lying to me since I met you and I'm sorry but not that's not something I can just forgive."

Mary felt tears prickle at her eyes. "But..."

"Look, I can kinda understand why you wouldn't want to tell something like that," John sighed. "But Mary being lied to like that, it hurts and I...I'm gonna need some time, alright?" John stood up from the couch. "I'm going sleep in the spare room tonight. I'll just...I'll see you in the morning."

Mary wanted to call him back, beg for his forgiveness but she knew she had to let him go. He'd asked for time and he deserved to be given that. Mary buried her head in her hands and desperately tired to fight back her tears.

* * *

Dean smiled as he climbed back into bed, being careful not to jostle his brother too much. For the first time in a long time, Dean felt hopeful that things might just work out. That he finally might find a way to really help Sam. Gently pulling Sam closer to him, Dean wrapped Sam tightly in his arms and his brother made a happy snuffling noise as he wriggled deeper into Dean's embrace. "Everything's going to okay now, Sammy," Dean whispered, placing a soft kiss on the top of Sam's head. "I promise."

* * *

Three hours later and John was in the spare room, tossing and turning in the bed unable to sleep. His mind was on a continuous loop, going over everything he had just found out. He didn't know how to feel. A huge array of emotions were flooding through him all at once. On some level he did understand why Mary had lied to him but he felt betrayed and angrty. Why didn't she feel John could be trusted with the truth? And then there was Dean and Sam, above all else he just wanted to protect them but he was so out of his depth with all this that he was terrified. Terrified that he was going fail them and end up hurting them. Kicking of the blankets in a huff, John swung his legs out of bed and headed downstairs in search of a late night drink to try and help him calm down.

After knocking back a shot of Whiskey in the kitchen, John poured himself another and then made his back up to the spare room. He sat down on the edge of the bed and drained the amber liquid in one go, placing the empty glass on the bedside table. Closing his eyes, he flopped back on the bed with a exhausted sigh. A second later he felt something drop onto his forehead, first one drop, then another; he flinched and opened his eyes.

John's mouth fell open as he gasped in horror. Mary was sprawled across the ceiling, pinned to it. The stomach of her nightgown slashed open and stained red with blood. Mary was staring down at him struggling to breathe.

"No!" John screamed.

Instinct had John raising his arm to shield his face when Mary suddenly burst into flames. The fire quickly spread over the ceiling, and John stared up at it, frozen.

"Mary!"

The screams that shattered the silence of night have Dean and Sam both jumping up out of bed before they have even fully opened their eyes. Sam stared wide eyed and fearfully at Dean as John once again desperately yelled out Mary's name.

"Stay here," Dean ordered and before Sam could reply, Dean rushed out of the door, towards the direction of the screams. As he reached the doorway to the spare room, he was stopped dead in his tracks by the scene that met him. For a few moments all he was able to do was stare up horrific image on the ceiling, but finally his body kicked back into action and he hurried over to grab John off the bed. "Come on, we gotta out of here."

John struggled against Dean. "No! Mary! Mary! No!"

Dean frantically tried to pull John off the bed but he was a lot heavier than Dean and he was fighting him so much that it was nearly impossible to get the older man up. "John!" Dean shouted. "We gotta go! John! Please!"

Suddenly Sam was in the room and grabbing a hold of John's other arm and between the two of them, Dean and Sam were able to get John up and bodily shove him out the door. Thankfully once they got into the hallway, John stopped struggling so hard against them and the three of them stumbled down the stairs and outside.

* * *

John's not sure how long he stood there on the front lawn as he numbly watched the fire fighters try to get control of the fire that had engulfed his house along with his wife. Windows had exploded from the intense heat, and police had started moving people back to keep them at a safe distance but John just stood there unable to do anything but watch. It was Dean and Sam that finally snapped him out of his daze. They were sat beside him on the lawn, Sam in Dean's lap as they both stared blankly ahead, when John noticed they had started shaking badly, he realised that shock was setting in and it was time to move them.

"Dean," John said as gently as could, willing his voice not to crack. "Take Sam to the Impala, okay? I'll be there in a minute."

Dean nodded and without saying a word he coaxed Sam back up to standing and led him over to the car before helping him to climb into the backseat.

John looked back towards the house, despite the fire fighters best efforts the fire raged on, destroying everything in its path, nature at its worst but John knows nature had nothing to do with this. This fire wasn't started by anything natural or a random electrical fault. It was started by evil, something evil had taken his Mary, and John had been powerless to stop it and now the love of his life was gone. Setting his moth into a grim line of determination, John turned away from last remains of his life with Mary and headed towards the Impala.

John's hands shook as he got into the car and took a hold of the steering wheel. The boys were sat in the back, silent and in shock, holding on desperately to each other. John wanted to say something, anything to comfort them but right then he just couldn't find the words. He knew one thing though and that was that those boys were all in had left in the world, and nothing and no one was going to take them away from him.

"Are...are we going to Ma..Mary's dad's?" Dean asked shakily when John started up the Impala.

"No," John answered. "We've got work to do."

As John drove off, he had no idea where he was going but he knew what he had to do. He had to find the thing that killed Mary and end it. He wasn't going to let it hurt anyone else. He wasn't going to let it hurt the boys. Protecting them was all that mattered now, and John needed to learn the game fast if he was going to keep them safe. John didn't care who tried to come after them, demons, social services even Mary's dad, John would stop them all or he would die trying.

* * *

Azazel smirked as he watched the Impala disappear off into the distance. Everything was back on track. Destinies were falling into place to be fulfilled. Dean and Sam were finally were they should have be from the start, with John Winchester as their father.

**The End.**

Hope you all enjoyed reading. :) Please review and concrit is always welcomed. :)

**Author's Note:-** For those of you interested I have already started work on a sequel to this story. The sequel will tie up the lose ends of this story and start John and the boys on the next part of their Journey. The first part should be posted soon. :)

Thank you again to everyone who has read, reviewed and supported this story! You guys are awesome and all your encouragement has been fantastic and greatly appreciated!


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